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In this investigation, the starch-Lycium barbarum complex (CS-LB) was fabricated using corn starch (CS) and Lycium barbarum (LB) through a high-speed shear method. The stability of the guest molecules was also explored. The influence of shear time, rotational speed, and LB to CS mass ratio on Lycium barbarum pigment (LP) content and its stability were investigated. The CS-LB was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that the content of LP in the product was 0.99±0.03 mg per gram when the shear time was 1.5 hours, the rotational speed was 12000 r/min, and the mass ratio of LB to CS was 3:1. The SEM results illustrated that the products had an agglomerated morphology. The XRD results showed that the crystal domain of starch particles was destroyed and transformed into amorphous structures due to the high-speed shear treatment, but the CS-LP crystalline structure changed into a V-type, which was promoted by the interaction between CS and active components of LB. The FT-IR results showed that the absorption peak at 3421 cm−1 shifted, indicating that CS and LB were bound through hydrogen bonds. The TGA results showed that the thermal stability of the product was also enhanced, with a mass retention rate of 36% at 600 ℃ for the composite. Thus, the CS-LB could be effectively fabricated by high-speed shear treatment. Additionally, it was found that the composite could effectively reduce the effects of temperature, oxygen, and light on the stability of guest molecules in stability experiments. The shelf-life of guest molecules was also extended, enabling them to perform their related functions better.

Objective: To improve the polysaccharide content and biological activities of the fermented Chinese yam polysaccharides (FCYP) by fermentation with Saccharomyces boulardii. Methods: The contents of polysaccharides, total protein and polyphenols of FCYP and unfermented Chinese yam polysaccharides (UCYP) were determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method, coomassie bright blue method and folin-ciocalteu method, respectively. The monosaccharide composition and physicochemical properties of FCYP and UCYP were determined by ultraviolet spectrum analysis, high performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then the antioxidant activity and immunomodulatory activity were compared and analyzed. Results: Compared with UCYP (383.03±12.57 mg/g), the polysaccharide content in FCYP was significantly increased (480.71±5.93 mg/g, P

Introduction: Water is an important ecological factor, and non-point source pollution (NPSP) seriously affects water security. In recent years, NPSP has affected water security and human survival in China.Methods: The Luhun Lake Basin has been selected as an example region of Yellow River Basin (YRB) in China, and the trends and impacts of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) has been quantitatively evaluated by using geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS) and InVEST model.Results: The results show that (1) the arable land and water bodies decreased, while forest land, grass land, construction land and unutilized land increased in the 20 years. The average annual precipitation increased from the northeast to the southwest in the 20 years; (2) the N and P exports first increased in 2000–2010 and then decreased in 2010–2020, and finally increased in 2000–2020; (3) with the increase of precipitation, the N and P exports decreased in 2000–2010, 2010–2020 and 2000–2020; (4) the amount of N and P exports on arable land and construction land were more than that on the other land use types. The N and P exports on each land use type all first increased and then decreased, and the overall change trend all increased in 2000–2020.Discussion: This study demonstrates how geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS) and InVEST model can be used to assess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in data scarce regions.

It is well known that exposure to environmental stresses could enhance the adaptability of bacteria and up-regulate the expression of a variety of oxidative stress-related genes and antioxidant enzymes. It is unclear whether the adaptability of microorganisms formed naturally in special environments could transfer to other organisms. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of untreated and ethanol-induced Lactococcus lactis intracellular extracts (U-IE and E-IE) on alcohol metabolism in mice. The positive effects of E-IE on alcohol metabolism in mice were revealed by the enhanced latency of loss of righting reflex (LORR), the reduced duration of LORR, the decrease of blood alcohol concentration, as well as the elevation of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activities in the stomach and liver tissues. Furthermore, the potential benefits of E-IE on the liver were evaluated by biochemical parameters including the activities of serum transaminase, the levels of antioxidant enzymes, and the pathological changes of liver tissue. The present work put forward a new point that appropriate ethanol stress could enhance the intracellular ADH activity of L. lactis, and its intracellular extracts could continue to enhance alcohol metabolism in mice.

Insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) extracted from wheat bran were modified by snail enzyme and their physicochemical properties (water retention capacity and oil retention capacity), functional properties (cholesterol adsorption capacity, glucose adsorption capacity and antioxidant activity) and structural characterizations were evaluated. The results showed that snail enzyme modification led to the significant increase in oil retention capacity of IDF, glucose adsorption capacity and cholesterol adsorption capacity of IDF and SDF. Enzymatic modification also markedly improved the DPPH radical scavenging capacity and reducing power of IDF and SDF. Meanwhile, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated the microstructures of IDF and SDF powders were significantly changed. Fourier transfer-infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) showed that snail enzyme modification could degrade the part of cellulose and hemicellulose of IDF and SDF. All these improved physicochemical and functional properties of IDF and SDF might depend on their structural changes. It suggested that snail enzyme modification could effectively improve physicochemical and functional properties of IDF and SDF from wheat bran.

An abnormally expanded GGGGCC repeat in C9ORF72 is the most frequent causal mutation associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Both gain-of-function (gf) and loss-of-function (lf) mechanisms have been involved in C9ORF72 related ALS FTLD. The gf mechanism of C9ORF72 has been studied in various animal models but not in C. elegans. In the present study, we described mutant C9ORF72 modeling in C. elegans and report the finding of two suppressor genes.We made transgenes containing 9 or 29 repeats of GGGGCC in C9ORF72, driven by either the hsp-16 promoters or the unc 119 promoter.Transgenic worms were made to carry such transgenes.Phenotypic analysis of those animals revealed that Phsp 16::(G4C2)29::GFP transgenic animals (EAB 135) displayed severe paralysis by the second day of adulthood, followed by lethality, which phenotypes were less severe in Phsp 16::(G4C2)9::GFP transgenic animals (EAB242),and absent in control strains expressing empty vectors. Suppressor genes of this locomotor phenotype were pursued by introducing mutations with ethyl methanesulfonate in EAB135, screening mutant strains that moved faster than EAB135 by a food-ring assay, identifying mutations by whole-genome sequencing and testing the underlying mechanism of the suppressor genes either by employing RNA interference studies or C. elegans genetics. Three mutant strains, EAB164, EAB165 and EAB167, were identified. Eight suppressor genes carrying nonsense canonical splicing site mutations were confirmed, among which a nonsense mutation of F57A10.2 VAMP was found in all three mutant strains, and a nonsense mutation of acp-4 ACP2 was only found in EAB164. Knock down out of those two genes in EAB135 animals by feeding RNAi introducing a known acp-4 null allele phenocopied the suppression of the C9ORF72 variant related movement defect in the mutant strains. Translational conformation in a mammalian system is required, but our worm data suggest that altering acp-4 ACP2 encoding lysosomal acid phosphatase may provide a potential therapeutic method of reducing acp-4 ACP2 levels, as opposed or complementary to directly reducing C9ORF72, to relieve C9ORF72-ALS phenotypes. It also suggests that the C9ORF72-ALS FTLD may share a pathophysiologic mechanism with vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B, a homolog of F57A10.2 VAMP, which is a proven ALS8 gene.

We report a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen for Suppressors of Clozapine-induced Larval Arrest (scla genes) in Caenorhabditis elegans, the first genetic suppressor screen for antipsychotic drug (APD) targets in an animal. The screen identifies 40 suppressors, including the α-like nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) homolog acr-7. We validate the requirement for acr-7 by showing that acr-7 knockout suppresses clozapine-induced larval arrest and that expression of a full-length translational GFP fusion construct rescues this phenotype. nAChR agonists phenocopy the developmental effects of clozapine, while nAChR antagonists partially block these effects. ACR-7 is strongly expressed in the pharynx, and clozapine inhibits pharyngeal pumping. acr-7 knockout and nAChR antagonists suppress clozapine-induced inhibition of pharyngeal pumping. These findings suggest that clozapine activates ACR-7 channels in pharyngeal muscle, leading to tetanus of pharyngeal muscle with consequent larval arrest. No APDs are known to activate nAChRs, but a number of studies indicate that α7-nAChR agonists may prove effective for the treatment of psychosis. α-like nAChR signaling is a mechanism through which clozapine may produce its therapeutic and/or toxic effects in humans, a hypothesis that could be tested following identification of the mammalian ortholog of C. elegans acr-7.

We analyzed the relatively poorly understood IFT-dynein (class DYNC2)-driven retrograde IFT pathway in C. elegans cilia, which yielded results that are surprising in the context of current models of IFT. Assays of C. elegans dynein gene expression and intraflagellar transport (IFT) suggest that conventional IFT-dynein contains essential heavy (CHE-3), light-intermediate (XBX-1), plus three light polypeptide chains that participate in IFT, but no "essential" intermediate chain. IFT assays of XBX-1::YFP suggest that IFT-dynein is transported as cargo to the distal tip of the cilium by kinesin-2 motors, but independent of the IFT-particle/BBSome complexes. Finally, we were surprised to find that the subset of cilia present on the OLQ (outer labial quadrant) neurons assemble independently of conventional "CHE-3" IFT-dynein, implying that there is a second IFT-dynein acting in these cilia. We have found a novel gene encoding a dynein heavy chain, DHC-3, and two light chains, in OLQ neurons, which could constitute an IFT-dynein complex in OLQ neuronal cilia. Our results underscore several surprising features of retrograde IFT that require clarification.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of malignant glioma, characterized by genetic instability and unpredictable clinical behavior. GBM is marked by an extremely poor prognosis with median overall survival of 12~14 months. In this study, we detected the CD137L-expressing cells and IL-17-expressing cells in tumor tissues resected from patients with GBM. Expression of CD137L and IL-17 were assessed by immunohistochemistry, and the prognostic value of CD137L and IL-17 expression within the tumor tissues were assessed by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Immunohistochemical detection showed that positive cells of CD137L and IL-17 in glioblastoma tissue samples were 46.3% (19/ 41) and 73.2% (30/41) respectively. Expression of CD137L was not correlated with overall survival of GBM patients (P=0.594), while significantly longer survival rate was seen in patients with high expression of IL-17, compared to those with low expression of IL-17 (P=0.007). In addition, we also found that IL-17 expression was significantly correlated with Progression-free survival (PFS) (P=0.016) and death rate (P=0.01). Furthermore, multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses revealed that IL-17 (P=0.018) and PFS (P=0.028) were independent factors affecting the overall survival probability. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that PFS of high expression of IL-17 group were significantly longer (P=0.004) than low expression group with GBM. It is concluded that high levels of IL-17 expression in the tumor tissues may be a good prognostic marker for patients with GBM.