Search

Abstract Dysregulation of the gut microbiome has associated with the occurrence and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To determine the diagnostic capacity of this association, we compared fecal microbiomes across 104 participants including non-NAFLD controls and NAFLD subtypes patients that were distinguished by magnetic resonance imaging. We measured their blood biochemical parameters, 16 S rRNA-based gut microbiota and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Multi-omic analyses revealed that NAFLD patients exhibited specific changes in gut microbiota and fecal SCFAs as compared to non-NAFLD subjects. Four bacterial genera (Faecalibacterium, Subdoligranulum, Haemophilus, and Roseburia) and two fecal SCFAs profiles (acetic acid, and butyric acid) were closely related to NAFLD phenotypes and could accurately distinguish NAFLD patients from healthy non-NAFLD subjects. Twelve genera belonging to Faecalibacterium, Subdoligranulum, Haemophilus, Intestinibacter, Agathobacter, Lachnospiraceae_UCG-004, Roseburia, Butyricicoccus, Actinomycetales_unclassified, [Eubacterium]_ventriosum_group, Rothia, and Rhodococcus were effective to distinguish NAFLD subtypes. Of them, combination of five genera can distinguish effectively mild NAFLD from non-NAFLD with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.84. Seven genera distinguish moderate NAFLD with an AUC of 0.83. Eight genera distinguish severe NAFLD with an AUC of 0.90. In our study, butyric acid distinguished mild-NAFLD from non-NAFLD with AUC value of 0.83. And acetic acid distinguished moderate-NAFLD and severe-NAFLD from non-NAFLD with AUC value of 0.84 and 0.70. In summary, our study and further analysis showed that gut microbiota and fecal SCFAs maybe a method with convenient detection advantages and invasive manner that are not only a good prediction model for early warning of NAFLD occurrence, but also have a strong ability to distinguish NAFLD subtypes.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) hold promise as theranostic carriers for atherosclerosis. However, to further advance their therapeutic effects with higher complexity and functionality, integrating multiple components with complex synthesis procedures are usually involved. Here, we reported a facile and general strategy to prepare multifunctional anti-atherosclerosis theranostic platform in a single-step manner. A custom-designed multifunctional polymer, poly(butyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) branched phosphorylated β-glucan (PBMMA-PG), can effectively entrap different MOFs via coordination, simultaneously endow the MOF with enhanced stability, lesional macrophages selectivity and enhanced endosome escape. Sequential ex situ characterization and computational studies elaborated the potential mechanism. This facile post-synthetic modification granted the administered nanoparticles atherosclerotic tropism by targeting Dectin-1+ macrophages, enhancing in situ MR signal intensity by 72 %. Delivery of siNLRP3 effectively mitigated NLRP3 inflammasomes activation, resulting a 43 % reduction of plaque area. Overall, the current study highlights a simple and general approach for fabricating a MOF-based theranostic platform towards atherosclerosis conditioning, which may also expand to other indications targeting the lesional macrophages.

Abstract Background Breast cancer patients exhibit various response patterns to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). However, it is uncertain whether diverse tumor response patterns to NAC in breast cancer patients can predict survival outcomes. We aimed to develop and validate radiomic signatures indicative of tumor shrinkage and therapeutic response for improved survival analysis. Methods This retrospective, multicohort study included three datasets. The development dataset, consisting of preoperative and early NAC DCE-MRI data from 255 patients, was used to create an imaging signature-based multitask model for predicting tumor shrinkage patterns and pathological complete response (pCR). Patients were categorized as pCR, nonpCR with concentric shrinkage (CS), or nonpCR with non-CS, with prediction performance measured by the area under the curve (AUC). The prognostic validation dataset (n = 174) was used to assess the prognostic value of the imaging signatures for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) using a multivariate Cox model. The gene expression data (genomic validation dataset, n = 112) were analyzed to determine the biological basis of the response patterns. Results The multitask learning model, utilizing 17 radiomic signatures, achieved AUCs of 0.886 for predicting tumor shrinkage and 0.760 for predicting pCR. Patients who achieved pCR had the best survival outcomes, while nonpCR patients with a CS pattern had better survival than non-CS patients did, with significant differences in OS and RFS (p = 0.00012 and p = 0.00063, respectively). Gene expression analysis highlighted the involvement of the IL-17 and estrogen signaling pathways in response variability. Conclusions Radiomic signatures effectively predict NAC response patterns in breast cancer patients and are associated with specific survival outcomes. The CS pattern in nonpCR patients indicates better survival.

Abstract Ionotropic gelation is widely used to fabricate targeting nanoparticles (NPs) with polysaccharides, leveraging their recognition by specific lectins. Despite the fabrication scheme simply involves self-assembly of differently charged components in a straightforward manner, the identification of a potent combinatory formulation is usually limited by structural diversity in compound collections and trivial screen process, imposing crucial challenges for efficient formulation design and optimization. Herein, we report a diversity-oriented combinatory formulation screen scheme to identify potent gene delivery cargo in the context of precision cardiac therapy. Distinct categories of cationic compounds are tested to construct RNA delivery system with an ionic polysaccharide framework, utilizing a high-throughput microfluidics workstation coupled with streamlined NPs characterization system in an automatic, step-wise manner. Sequential computational aided interpretation provides insights in formulation optimization in a broader scenario, highlighting the usefulness of compound library diversity. As a result, the out-of-bag NPs, termed as GluCARDIA NPs, are utilized for loading therapeutic RNA to ameliorate cardiac reperfusion damages and promote the long-term prognosis. Overall, this work presents a generalizable formulation design strategy for polysaccharides, offering design principles for combinatory formulation screen and insights for efficient formulation identification and optimization.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of global mortality, with dyslipidemia recognized as a significant risk factor. Dyslipidemia, characterized by elevated levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), is associated with an increased lifetime risk of CVD. Although alfalfa’s cholesterol-lowering effects have been demonstrated in animal models, clinical trial data supporting its efficacy in human dyslipidemia treatment are limited. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from September 20, 2021, to January 12, 2023, involving patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia. Approved by the China Ethics Committee of Registering Clinical Trials, the study included multiple sites in China. Eligible participants were adults aged 18 years or older, meeting criteria from the Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Adult Blood Lipid Disorders. Participants were randomly assigned to either a health education-only group or a combined alfalfa powder supplementation and health education group for a three-month intervention period. Results: A total of 160 eligible patients were enrolled and randomized into two groups: the Alfalfa group (n = 80) and the Education group (n = 80). The intervention resulted in significant improvements in key lipid parameters in the Alfalfa group, including reductions in TC, LDL-C, and Apo A1 levels. Although changes in HDL-C levels were not significantly different between the groups, the Alfalfa group exhibited a larger increase. Serum lipid metabolomics analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) indicated that the combined intervention did not significantly alter the overall blood lipid metabolome but identified fifteen regulated differential metabolites, with the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway significantly affecting lipid metabolism levels. Conclusion: Supplementation with alfalfa powder combined with health education significantly reduced TC, LDL-C, and Apo A1 levels in patients with dyslipidemia. KEGG pathway analysis suggests an association between the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway and dyslipidemia. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Abstract Background Hypertension is one of the major public health problems in China. Limited evidence exists regarding sex differences in the association between hypertension and air pollutants, as well as the impact of dietary factors on the relationship between air pollutants and hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate the sex-specific effects of dietary patterns on the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone(O3) and hypertension in adults residing in Jiangsu Province of China. Methods A total of 3189 adults from the 2015 China Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance in Jiangsu Province were included in this study. PM2.5 and O3 concentrations were estimated using satellite space-time models and assigned to each participant. Dietary patterns were determined by reduced rank regression (RRR), and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the associations of the obtained dietary patterns with air pollutants and hypertension risk. Results After adjusting for confounding variables, we found that males were more sensitive to long-term exposure to PM2.5 (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.42 95%CI:1.08,1.87), and females were more sensitive to long-term exposure to O3 (OR = 1.61 95%CI:1.15,2.23). Traditional southern pattern identified through RRR exhibited a protective effect against hypertension in males (OR = 0.73 95%CI: 0.56,1.00). The results of the interaction between dietary pattern score and PM2.5 revealed that adherence to traditional southern pattern was significantly associated with a decreased risk of hypertension in males (P

A new species of pomatiopsid freshwater snail, Fenouilia undata Chen & He, sp. nov., is described from Guangxi, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: shell with low, prosocline, rounded axial ribs and fine spiral striae, broader than high; aperture broader than shell height; radula with lateral teeth have only two or three faint, wavy ridges on inner side. A molecular analysis of partial mitochondrial COI and 16S DNA sequences supports the systematic position of the new taxon.

Introduction: Nutritional support is potentially considered an essential step to prevent muscle loss and enhance physical function in older adults. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the role of potential nutritional strategies, i.e., fish oil-derived ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), wheat oligopeptide and their combined intervention, in preventing and reversing sarcopenia in aging process. Methods: One hundred 25-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 10 groups, and 10 newly purchased 6-month-old rats were included in young control group (n = 10). Fish oil (200, 400 or 800 mg/kg body weight), wheat oligopeptide (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg body weight), fish oil + wheat oligopeptide (800 + 100, 400 + 200 or 200 + 400 mg/kg body weight) or the equal volume of solvent were administered daily by gavage for 10 weeks. The effects of these interventions on natural aging rats were evaluated. Results: All intervention groups had a significant increase in muscle mass and grip strength and reduction in perirenal fat weight when compared to the aged control group (P

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients undergoing intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. The primary endpoint was the 30-day mortality rate, while the secondary endpoint was the in-hospital mortality rate. Restricted cubic splines were used to assess the dose–response relationship. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis were carried out to evaluate the predictive performance of RDW. Moreover, multiple logistic regression analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between RDW and 30-day mortality. Finally, propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to adjust for the imbalance of covariates. Results: In total, 732 patients were finally identified from the MIMIC-IV database in this study. The RDW of patients in the non-survivor group was significantly higher compared with those in the survivor group (P

Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) can be classified into animal- and plant-derived ω-3 PUFAs. Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are frequently accompanied by dyslipidemia, which is closely related to the high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) subfractions change. This study aimed to determine the effects of different sources ω-3 PUFAs on glucolipid metabolism and lipoprotein subfractions in T2DM with dyslipidemia. Ninety T2DM patients with dyslipidemia were randomly assigned to take 3 g/day fish oil (FO, containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)), 3 g/day perilla oil (PO, containing α-linolenic acid (ALA)), or 3 g/day blend oil (BO, containing EPA, DHA and ALA) for 3 months. 90 patients completed the intervention. There was a significant reduction of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in all the groups. The triglycerides (TG) in the FO group were significantly different with a group × time interaction (P = 0.043), which was higher compared with the other two groups. The serum small HDL-C subfractions in the PO group was higher and the serum large HDL-C subfractions in the PO group was lower than those in the BO and FO groups. Plant-derived ω-3 PUFAs are more effective at controlling blood glucose than animal-derived ω-3 PUFAs. However, animal-derived ω-3 PUFAs have a significant lowering effect on TG compared with plant-derived ω-3 PUFAs. Particularly, large HDL-C subfractions after animal-derived ω-3 PUFAs intake were higher than plant-derived ω-3 PUFAs intake; while small HDL-C subfractions were lower. Both the animal- and plant-derived ω-3 PUFAs have practical value in improving glucose and lipids metabolism in T2DM patients with dyslipidemia.

The taxonomy of the potamid crab genus Parvuspotamon Dai & Bo, 1994, with two species native to Yunnan province of southwest China, is revised based on morphological and molecular data. In order to stabilise the taxonomy of these species (and the genus), two separate genera are hereby designated: Parvuspotamon and Songpotamon gen. nov. While Parvuspotamon is restricted to P. yuxiense Dai & Bo, 1994, as a monotypic genus, P. dixuense Naruse, Chia & Zhou, 2018, is transferred to a new genus, Songpotamon gen. nov. In addition, two new species of Songpotamon gen. nov. are described herein: S. funingense sp. nov. and S. malipoense sp. nov. Songpotamon gen. nov. morphologically most resembles Parvuspotamon and Chinapotamon Dai & Naiyanetr, 1994, but can be distinguished by the combination of characters in the carapace, third maxilliped, thoracic sternites, and male first gonopod. The genetic data derived from the mitochondrial 16S rDNA also supports the monophyly of these new taxa.

Postprandial metabolism plays major roles in many pathological conditions. The n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio is closely related to various physiological disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high fat meals with different n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios on postprandial metabolism in normal control (NC) and hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) rats. The postprandial response of triglyceride (TG) in HTG groups was higher than that in NC groups after different n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio meals. The HTG groups showed higher postprandial total cholesterol (TC) responses than NC groups after 1:1 and 20:1 ratio meals. The 5:1 n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio elicited lower postprandial responses of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) than 1:1 and 10:1 ratios in HTG groups. The postprandial malondialdehyde (MDA) response was lower after a 5:1 n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio meal than 1:1 and 20:1 ratio meals in HTG groups. The 1:1 ratio resulted in a lower postprandial reactive oxygen species (ROS) level than 5:1 and 10:1 n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios in NC groups. The results showed that a low n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio improved postprandial dysmetabolism induced by a high fat meal in NC and HTG rats. A high n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio increased the difference in postprandial metabolism between NC and HTG rats.

The species diversity of freshwater crabs of Bangladesh is poorly known. In this study, Acanthopotamon fungosum (Alcock, 1909) and Maydelliathelphusa edentula (Alcock, 1909) are reported as new records from Bangladesh. The two species were identified through morphology and molecular phylogeny based on 16S rDNA gene sequences. Herein, diagnostic characters of both species are provided respective to close congeners. There is concern over the conservation status of A. fungosum due to its narrow distributional range. In addition, an updated checklist and a key to the freshwater crabs of Bangladesh are provided.

Abstract Alkylnitriles play important roles in many fields because of their unique electronic properties and structural characteristics. Incorporating cyanoalkyl with characteristic spectroscopy and reactivity properties into amino acids and peptides is of special interest for potential imaging and therapeutic purposes. Here, we report a copper-catalyzed asymmetric cyanoalkylation of C(sp3)-H. In the reactions, glycine derivatives can effectively couple with various cycloalkanone oxime esters with high enantioselectivities, and the reaction can be applied to the late-stage modification of peptides with good yields and excellent stereoselectivities, which is useful for modern peptide synthesis and drug discovery. The mechanistic studies show that the in situ formed copper complex by the coordination of glycine derivatives and chiral phosphine Cu catalyst can not only mediate the single electronic reduction of cycloalkanone oxime ester but also control the stereoselectivity of the cyanoalkylation reaction.

Previous meta-analyses of multiple studies have suggested that dietary intake and blood concentrations of carotenoids, as well as dietary supplement of certain carotenoids, play a role in reducing the risk of cancer. However, the conclusions of these studies have been subject to controversy. We conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses to comprehensively analyze and evaluate the evidence pertaining the association between carotenoids and cancer outcomes. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases of meta-analyses and systematic reviews up to June 2023. Our selection criteria encompassed meta-analyses of cohort and case-control studies, as well as randomized controlled clinical trials, which investigated the associations between carotenoids and cancer risk. We also determined the levels of evidence for these associations with AMSTAR 2 criteria. We included 51 eligible articles, including 198 meta-analyses for qualitative synthesis in the umbrella review. Despite the presence of moderate to high heterogeneity among the studies, dietary intake, supplementation, and blood concentrations of carotenoids were inversely associated with the risk of total cancer, and certain specific cancers of lung, digestive system, prostate, breast, head and neck, and others. Subgroup analysis also showed that individual carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene) offer certain protection against specific types of cancers. However, high doses of carotenoid supplements, especially β-carotene, significantly increased the risk of total cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. Our umbrella meta-analysis supported that high intake of dietary carotenoids as a whole food approach could be more beneficial in reducing cancer risk. Concurrently, the findings suggest that the efficacy of single-carotenoid supplementation in cancer prevention remains a subject of controversy.

The role of selenium in the developmental process of esophageal cancer (EC) requires further investigation. To explore the relationship between selenium-related factors and EC through bioinformatic analysis, a case-control study was conducted to verify the results. Utilizing the GEPIA and TCGA databases, we delineated the differential expression of glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) in EC and normal tissues, identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and a performed visualization analysis. Additionally, 100 pairs of dietary and plasma samples from esophageal precancerous lesions (EPLs) of esophageal squamous cancer (ESCC) cases and healthy controls from Huai’an district, Jiangsu, were screened. The levels of dietary selenium, plasma selenium, and related enzymes were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or ELISA kits. The results showed lower GPx3 expression in tumor tissues compared to normal tissues. Further analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly involved in the fat digestion and absorption pathway, and the core protein fatty acid binding protein 1 (FABP1) was significantly upregulated and negatively correlated with GPx3 expression. Our case-control study found that selenium itself was not associated with EPLs risk. However, both the decreased concentration of GPx3 and the increase in FABP1 were positively correlated with the EPLs risk (p for trend = 0.035 and 0.046, respectively). The different expressions of GPx3 and FABP1 reflect the potential of selenium for preventing ESCC at the EPLs stage. GPx3 may affect myocardial infarction through FABP1, which remains to be further studied.

Objective: L-carnitine (LC), a vital nutritional supplement, plays a crucial role in myocardial health and exhibits significant cardioprotective effects. LC, being the principal constituent of clinical-grade supplements, finds extensive application in the recovery and treatment of diverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders. However, controversies persist regarding the utilization of LC in nervous system diseases, with varying effects observed across numerous mental and neurological disorders. This article primarily aims to gather and analyze database information to comprehensively summarize the therapeutic potential of LC in patients suffering from nervous system diseases while providing valuable references for further research. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web Of Science, Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library and Clinicaltrials.gov databases. The literature pertaining to the impact of LC supplementation on neurological or psychiatric disorders in patients was reviewed up until November 2023. No language or temporal restrictions were imposed on the search. Results: A total of 1479 articles were retrieved, and after the removal of duplicates through both automated and manual exclusion processes, 962 articles remained. Subsequently, a meticulous re-screening led to the identification of 60 relevant articles. Among these, there were 12 publications focusing on hepatic encephalopathy (HE), while neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) and peripheral nervous system diseases (PNSDs) were represented by 9 and 6 articles, respectively. Additionally, stroke was addressed in five publications, whereas Raynaud’s syndrome (RS) and cognitive disorder (CD) each had three dedicated studies. Furthermore, migraine, depression, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) each accounted for two publications. Lastly, one article was found for other symptoms under investigation. Conclusion: In summary, LC has demonstrated favorable therapeutic effects in the management of HE, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), CD, migraine, neurofibromatosis (NF), PNSDs, RS, and stroke. However, its efficacy appears to be relatively limited in conditions such as ALS, ataxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Down syndrome (DS), and sciatica.

This study aims to update the evidence and clarify whether cranberry possesses lipid-lowering and hypoglycemic properties in humans. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched to identify relevant articles published up to December 2023. In total, 3145 publications were reviewed and 16 of them were included for qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis. Stata 15.0 and Review Manager 5.4 were applied for statistical analyses. The results revealed a significant decrease in the total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C) (MD = −0.24; 95% CI: −0.45, −0.04; peffect = 0.02) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (MD = −0.59; 95% CI: −1.05, −0.14; peffect = 0.01) with cranberry consumption. However, it did not influence total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and fasting insulin. In subgroup analysis, cranberry consumption in dried form (capsules, powder, and tablets) was found to significantly decrease the fasting insulin level (three studies, one hundred sixty-five participants, MD = −2.16; 95% CI: −4.24, −0.07; peffect = 0.04), while intervention duration, health conditions, and dosage of polyphenols and anthocyanins had no impact on blood lipid and glycemic parameters. In summary, cranberry might have potential benefits in regulating lipid and glucose profiles.

Background: Overweight and obesity as main health problems harm human beings worldwide. The number of people diagnosed with overweight and obese is gradually increasing. Green tea catechin has been reported to effectively help control body weight in overweight and obese population, and is protectively against the blood pressure and lipids in people with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Methods: We retrieved 4 English databases (PubMed, Web of science, Cochrane, Scoups) from inception to April 20, 2023. Two reviewers independently determined eligibility, assessed the reporting quality of included studies, and extracted the data. Data were extracted from eleven studies. The results were presented with the weighted mean differences (WMDs), and the confidence intervals (CIs) was 95 %. The random-effects or fixed-effects model was applied according to the heterogeneity. The subgroup analysis was used to identify the source of heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots, Egger's test, and Begg's test. Results: Eleven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) inclusion studies were screened from 3072 literature articles, involving 613 overweight and obese patients. After combining all studies, it was found that in overweight and obese people green tea catechin could reduce waist circumference (WC) (pooled WMD = −1.37 cm, 95 % CI: −2.52 to −0.22 cm, p = 0.019), and triglyceride (TG) (pooled WMD = −0.18 mmol/L, 95 % CI: −0.35 to −0.02 mmol/L, p = 0.032), and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) (pooled WMD = 0.07 mmol/L, 95 % CI: 0.01–0.14 mmol/L, p = 0.031). Conclusion: Green tea catechin supplement effectively reduced WC and TG levels and improved HDL-c levels. However, it did not show the significant effect on the blood pressure in overweight and obese people. The present meta-analysis showed a moderate benefit of green tea catechin supplementation on lipid profiles in overweight and obese people.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is gradually becoming one of the most common and health-endangering diseases. Flaxseed powder (FLA) is rich in α-linolenic acid, dietary fiber, lignans, and other active ingredients, which have lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we investigated whether the FLA improves host metabolism by gut bacteria modulation and further bile acid modulation in mice fed a high-fat diet. At the end of the experiment, we found that FLA can significantly reduce the body weight, body fat content, and serum TG, LDL-C, and TNF-α levels of mice, and improve liver steatosis. FLA intervention has a significant effect on preventing and regulating the gut flora disturbance caused by HFD. FLA intervention affects bile acid metabolism in the intestine and causes significant changes in functional bile acids, which can play a lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory role by activating the intestinal Fxr- Fgfr4-Cyp7a1 and Tgr5-Tlr4-Tnfα pathways.

The systematics of two problematic potamid species, Sinopotamon koatenense (Rathbun, 1904) and Sinopotamon wuyiensis Li, Lin, Cheng & Tang, 1985, both originally described from the Wuyi Mountains are resolved in this study. Sinopotamon koatenense is transferred to the genus Huananpotamon Dai & Ng, 1994, as the new combination Huananpotamon koatenense comb. nov. The new combination differs from its congeners in the form of the carapace, male pleon, male first gonopod, and vulvae. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences support the identification of Huananpotamon koatenense comb. nov. and a redescription is also provided. In addition, S. wuyiensis is confirmed as a junior synonym of Sinopotamon fukienense Dai & Chen, 1979 based on morphological similarities and phylogenetic lineages.

Abstract Aims This study aimed to analyze the relationship between diet and overweight and obesity in Jiangsu Province by using structural equation modeling (SEM), and to determine dietary differences between genders in the model. Methods Data from 1739 individuals (53.8% female, n = 935) were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to classify dietary patterns. SEM and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and overweight and obesity. Results Overweight and obesity was found in 49.1%, and no difference was found in gender (51.2% of men and 47.2% of women, respectively; P = 0.090). Three dietary patterns: the traditional dietary pattern (i.e., poultry, light-colored vegetables, red meat and its products, cereals and tubers products, condiment, oils and dark-colored vegetables), the fruit-egg dietary pattern (i.e., fruit, whole grains, pickled vegetables and eggs and eggs products) and nut-wine dietary pattern (i.e., nut, wine and pastry snacks) were established by using EFA and CFA. It was found that the traditional dietary pattern for adult male was positively associated with the overweight and obesity in Jiangsu Province of China through multivariate logistic regression and SEM (OR = 1.954; 95%CI: 1.258 ~ 3.036; β =0.121, P

Objective: The study aimed to explore the association between folic acid supplementation, maternal nutritional levels during pregnancy and intelligence development of infants. Method: This was a prospective cohort study, mothers and their offspring in Jurong Maternal and Child Health Hospital were followed up through pregnancy up to 1 year. The basic information of pregnant women was obtained through questionnaire survey, including pregnancy lifestyle, marital status, vitamin and mineral supplements during pregnancy. Blood samples of pregnant women were collected on admission, serum folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine concentrations were determined. Maternal postpartum colostrum was collected and the concentrations of folate and vitamin B12 in colostrum were determined. Pregnant women (n = 478) and their corresponding infants were followed up and the Developmental Screen Test scores were recorded at 1,3,6,8 and 12 months of age. Results: Compared with the normal group, infants in the low serum folate group had a score of 0.12 points lower in the intellectual energy zone (95% CI: -0.23 – -0.01, P = 0.04), and infants with the high homocysteine level scored 1.30 points lower than the lower-level group (95% CI: -2.52 – -0.08, P = 0.04). In the colostrum low-vitamin B12 level group, infants scored 0.10 points lower (95% CI: -1.84 – -0.02, P = 0.02) in the social adaptation zone compared to the normal group. Conclusion: In conclusion, folic acid supplementation in the pre-pregnancy supplementation group and the post-pregnancy supplementation group may be not associated with infant mental development. In addition, maternal folate and homocysteine may be related to the intellectual development of infants. The level of vitamin B12 in colostrum may be associated with infants’ social adaptive capacity. This result may be caused by individual differences in folate and homocysteine metabolism in pregnant women.

Gut microbiota is closely related to the health of the host and its adaptation to environmental changes. Sinopotamon planum is a species of freshwater crab that lives in the water for three seasons and plays a key role in freshwater ecosystems as a benthic macroinvertebrate, an important indicator of aquatic ecological health. In this study, we sequenced 60 gut microbial samples of S. planum and nine microbial samples from the surrounding water in spring, summer, and autumn based on the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that gut microbiota had the highest alpha diversity in summer, which may be related to increased adaptability in summer. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota were the most dominant phyla of gut microbiota across three seasons, with Candidatus Hepatoplasma and Candidatus Bacilloplasma being the main genera. These main phyla and genera may be key to maintaining a stable function of the intestinal environment. Firmicutes was the phylum with the highest relative abundance, which is probably related to the carnivorous behaviour of S. planum. The abundant C. Hepatoplasma may be related to the starvation of S. planum in the wild. In both gut and water microbiota, beta diversity analyses showed significant differences across seasons. Comparative analysis of gut microbes and surrounding water microbes showed significant differences in microbial diversity and composition between gut and surrounding water. In conclusion, the structure of the gut microbial community of S. planum differed significantly between the studied seasons, but the water microbial community around S. planum was less variable and significantly different from the gut microbes. The seasonal differences in gut microbes are more likely the result of self-internal adaptation to changes in water temperature and food resources between seasons.

In real world, due to the existence of floating particles such as smoke and dust in the atmosphere, images taken by camera are susceptible to different levels of blurring, low contrast, color distortion and visual degradation, which would be amplified when enlarging the image resolution. Therefore, it is a new trend to join the image dehazing and image super-resolution tasks. To generate sharp high-resolution images from low-resolution images with severe haze, a common way is to connect the dehazing network and the super-resolution network in series. However, two-stage joint approach easily introduces blurring artifacts and is time-consuming. In addition, although there are a few existing one-stage methods, their training modes are relatively complicated and the restoration effects on some texture details are still blurry. In this paper, we focus on exploring one-stage joint model and propose a back-projection network based on shared source attention fusion (BPSAF), which forms a closed frame through back-projection mechanism. BPSAF can remove non-uniform haze and extend the resolution simultaneously. Specifically, a shared source attention fusion (SAF) module is presented to fuse high-frequency information of different level features using shared source skip connections more effectively, which filters out abundant thin haze and low-frequency information from merged images. To enhance the definition of restored images, a feedback error correction module based on error attention mechanism (FEC-EA) is designed to further correct distorted texture details by eliminating the feedback error from initial super-resolution result to the input hazy image. Experimental results demonstrate that our back-projection framework is superior to other existing methods in terms of quantitative indicators and visual quality.

ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the association between high ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and depression.MethodsThe authors conducted a meta-analysis of research articles on the association of high ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs with the risk of depression published in the online article database on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library as of December 2021. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated using random effects models. Publication bias was assessed visually by funnel plots and statistically by the Egger’s and Begg’s tests.ResultsFinally, 12 studies included in this systematic review and meta-analysis with a total of 66,317 participants (including 4,173 individuals with depression condition). The pooled results showed that high ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs might be positively associated with depression [OR = 1.21, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.04∼1.41]. The I2 test indicated that there was a substantial statistical heterogeneity across the included studies (I2 = 54.38%, P = 0.01). Subgroup analysis showed that high ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs in blood had no significant association with depression (OR = 1.15, 95%CI: 0.88∼1.50), while high ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs in dietary supplements was positively associated with depression (OR = 1.32, 95%CI: 1.16∼1.51).ConclusionThis meta-analysis confirmed the association between high ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs and the risk of depression. High ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs in dietary supplementation was positively associated with depression, but had no significant association in the blood. This study suggested that lowering the dietary intake of the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs would be beneficial in the prevention of depression.

Two new species of potamid crabs, Eosamon daiae sp. nov. and Indochinamon malipoense sp. nov. are described from the Sino-Burmese border, southwestern Yunnan and from the Sino-Vietnamese border, southeastern Yunnan, China. The two new species can be distinguished from their closest congeners by several characters, among which is the form of the first gonopod structures. Molecular analyses based on partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences also support the systematic status of these new taxa.

The methane emissions from natural gas vehicles (NGVs) are unclear. Here the authors report high methane emissions from heavy-duty NGVs, and by using a scenario analysis show that strictly implementing the upcoming China VI standard could reduce GHG emissions by 509 Mt CO2eq for 2020-2030.

Purpose This study aimed to provide a clear comparable figure of the trends in incidence and mortality rates of esophageal cancer (EC) in Huai’an District, Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, China, a high-risk area for EC. Methods The data for age- and sex-specific incidence rates between 1998 and 2016, the mortality rates in 1990-2016 and the number of EC patients were obtained from Huai’an District Cancer Registry. Crude rates, Age-standardized rates (ASRs) by world standard population and truncated age-standardized rates of EC incidence and mortality were calculated. The joinpoint regression analysis was used to calculate the annual percent changes (APC), average annual percent changes (AAPC), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Overall, 20,892 new EC cases and 20,806 EC deaths were registered in Huai’an District. ASR of EC incidence from 1998 to 2016 and mortality from 1990 to 2016 were 73.32/100,000 and 60.03/100,000, respectively. The ASR illustrated that the incidence of EC had significant downward trends in total, male and female (AAPC = −4.65, −4.90, and −5.51, respectively, p

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most prevalent chronic liver disease, but the understanding of the mechanism of NAFLD is still limited. The aim of our study was to explore hub lncRNAs and mRNAs and pathological processes in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced and lycopene-intervened liver steatosis. We analyzed the gene profiles in the GSE146627 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs, and we constructed coexpression networks based on weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases were utilized for functional enrichment analysis. We found that the turquoise, blue, brown, yellow, green, and black modules were significantly correlated with NAFLD. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that some hub lncRNAs (Smarca2, Tacc1, Flywch1, and Mef2c) might be involved in the regulation of the inflammatory and metabolic pathways (such as TNF signaling, metabolic, mTOR signaling, MAPK signaling, and p53 signaling pathways) in NAFLD. The establishment of an NAFLD mouse model confirmed that lycopene supply attenuated hepatic steatosis in HFD-induced NAFLD. Our analysis revealed that the inflammatory and metabolic pathways may be crucially involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, and hub lncRNAs provide novel biomarkers, therapeutic ideas, and targets for NAFLD. Moreover, lycopene has the potential to be a phytochemical for the prevention of HFD-induced liver steatosis.

Ultra-high-definition (UHD) video has brought new challenges to objective video quality assessment (VQA) due to its high resolution and high frame rate. Most existing VQA methods are designed for non-UHD videos—when they are employed to deal with UHD videos, the processing speed will be slow and the global spatial features cannot be fully extracted. In addition, these VQA methods usually segment the video into multiple segments, predict the quality score of each segment, and then average the quality score of each segment to obtain the quality score of the whole video. This breaks the temporal correlation of the video sequences and is inconsistent with the characteristics of human visual perception. In this paper, we present a no-reference VQA method, aiming to effectively and efficiently predict quality scores for UHD videos. First, we construct a spatial distortion feature network based on a super-resolution model (SR-SDFNet), which can quickly extract the global spatial distortion features of UHD videos. Then, to aggregate the spatial distortion features of each UHD frame, we propose a time fusion network based on a reinforcement learning model (RL-TFNet), in which the actor network continuously combines multiple frame features extracted by SR-SDFNet and outputs an action to adjust the current quality score to approximate the subjective score, and the critic network outputs action values to optimize the quality perception of the actor network. Finally, we conduct large-scale experiments on UHD VQA databases and the results reveal that, compared to other state-of-the-art VQA methods, our method achieves competitive quality prediction performance with a shorter runtime and fewer model parameters.

Phytochemicals derived from oats are reported to possess a beneficial effect on modulating dyslipidemia, specifically on lowering total and LDL cholesterol. However, deeper insights into its mechanism remain unclear. In this randomized controlled study, we assigned 210 mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects from three study centers across China (Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai) to consume 80 g of oats or rice daily for 45 days. Plasma lipid profiles, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and fecal microbiota were measured. The results showed that total cholesterol (TC) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) decreased significantly with both oats and rice intake after 30 and 45 days. The reduction in TC and non-HDL-C was greater in the participants consuming oats compared with rice at day 45 (p = 0.011 and 0.049, respectively). Oat consumption significantly increased the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and Roseburia, and the relative abundance of Dialister, Butyrivibrio, and Paraprevotella, and decreased unclassified f-Sutterellaceae. In the oat group, Bifidobacterium abundance was negatively correlated with LDL-C (p = 0.01, r = −0.31) and, TC and LDL-C were negatively correlated to Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (p = 0.02, r = −0.29; p = 0.03, r = −0.27, respectively). Enterobacteriaceae, Roseburia, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were positively correlated with plasma butyric acid and valeric acid concentrations and negatively correlated to isobutyric acid. HDL-C was negatively correlated with valeric acid (p = 0.02, r = −0.25) and total triglyceride (TG) was positively correlated to isovaleric acid (p = 0.03, r = 0.23). Taken together, oats consumption significantly reduced TC and LDL-C, and also mediated a prebiotic effect on gut microbiome. Akkermansia muciniphila, Roseburia, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and plasma SCFA correlated with oat-induced changes in plasma lipids, suggesting prebiotic activity of oats to modulate gut microbiome could contribute towards its cholesterol-lowering effect.

Abstract A new gecarcinucid freshwater crab, Mekhongthelphusa menglongensis sp. nov., is described from Menglong Town, Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. This is the first report of the mainly Indochinese genus Mekhongthelphusa Naiyanetr, 1994, in China. The new species can be distinguished morphologically from the other four nominal species in this genus by its carapace and male first gonopod. The mitochondrial 16S sequences of this new species are provided and the phylogenetic position of the genus is discussed.

Guar gum is recognized as a soluble dietary fiber but its effects on blood lipid levels remain to be established. The purpose of the study was to focus on assessing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and investigate the effect of guar gum on lipid levels. Seventeen studies were systematically selected and included in the meta-analysis. Decreases in total cholesterol (TC) (standard mean difference (SMD) [95 %CI] = −1.38 [−2.01,−0.74]) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SMD [95 %CI] = −1.67 [−2.52, −0.82]) were significantly more pronounced with guar gum consumption, whereas no difference was observed on high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (SMD [95 %CI] = −0.07 [−0.34, 0.19]) or triglyceride (TG) (SMD [95 %CI] = 0.06 [−0.50, 0.61]), which suggests that guar gum has the potential to promote lipid health and prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Although pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is considered a rare disease, the incidence thereof has increased steadily in recent years, while a safe and effective cure remains beyond reach. In this study, the potential of tocotrienol-rich fractions (TRF) and carotene to alleviate PF was explored. PF was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats via a single intratracheal bleomycin (BLM) (5 mg/kg) instillation. These rats were subsequently treated with TRF, carotene, pirfenidone (Pir) and nintedanib (Nin) for 28 days via gavage administration, whereafter histopathological performance, biochemical functions and molecular alterations were studied in the lung tissues. Our results showed that TRF, carotene, Nin and Pir all ameliorated PF by reducing inflammation and resisting oxidative stress to varying degrees. The related mechanisms involved the TGF-β1/Smad, PI3K/Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways. Ultimately, our findings revealed that, when combined with TRF, the therapeutic effects of Nin and Pir on PF were enhanced, indicating that TRF may, indeed, provide promising potential for use in combination therapy in the treatment of PF.

It is hypothesized that esophageal precancerous lesions (EPLs) have a surge requirement for coenzyme I (NAD). The purpose of this study is to clarify the key control points of NAD synthesis in developing EPL by detecting related markers and the gene polymorphism of NAD synthesis and metabolism. This case–control study was conducted in Huai’an, China. In total, 100 healthy controls and 100 EPL cases matched by villages, gender, and age (±2 years) were included. The levels of plasma niacin and nicotinamide, and the protein concentration of NAMPT, NAPRT, and PARP-1 were quantitatively analyzed. PARP-1 gene polymorphism was detected to determine if the cases differed genetically in NAD synthesis. The levels of plasma niacin and nicotinamide and the concentrations of NAMPT were not related to the risk of EPL, but the over-expressions of NAPRT (p = 0.014, 0.001, and 0.016, respectively) and PARP-1 (p for trend = 0.021) were associated with the increased EPL risk. The frequency distribution of APRP-1 genotypes was found to not differ between the two groups, while the EPL group showed an increased frequency of the variant C allele. NAPRT, but not NAMPT, was found to be responsible for the stress of excess NAD synthesis in EPL. Focusing on the development of NAPRT inhibitors may be beneficial to prevent and control ESCC.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between dietary patterns and high blood glucose in Jiangsu province of China by using structural equation modelling (SEqM). Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study were recruited through the 2015 Chinese Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance Program in Jiangsu province using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method. Dietary patterns were defined by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the fitness of EFA. SEqM was used to investigate the association between dietary patterns and high blood glucose. Results: After exclusion, 3137 participants with complete information were analysed for this study. The prevalence of high blood glucose was 9.3% and 8.1% in males and females, respectively. Two dietary patterns: the modern dietary pattern (i.e., high in red meats and its products, vegetables, seafood, condiments, fungi and algae, main grains and poultry; low in other grains, tubers and preserves), and the fruit–milk dietary pattern (i.e., high in milk and its products, fruits, eggs, nuts and seeds and pastry snacks, but low in vegetable oils) were established. Modern dietary pattern was found to be positively associated with high blood glucose in adults in Jiangsu province (multivariate logistic regression: OR = 1.561, 95% CI: 1.025~2.379; SEqM: β = 0.127, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The modern dietary pattern—high intake of red meats—was significantly associated with high blood glucose among adults in Jiangsu province of China, while the fruit–milk dietary pattern was not significantly associated with high blood glucose.

Abstract Background The study aimed to explore the associations between the interactions of serum vitamin B2 or B12 levels, aberrant DNA methylation of p16 or p53 and MTHFR C677T polymorphism and the risks of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal precancerous lesion (EPL). Methods 200 ESCC cases, 200 EPL cases and 200 normal controls were matched by age (± 2 years) and gender. Serum vitamin B2 and B12 levels, MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphisms and the methylation status of genes were assessed. Chi square test, one-way analysis of variance and binary logistic regression were performed. Results The lowest quartile of both serum vitamin B2 and B12 with TT genotype showed significant increased EPL risk (OR = 4.91, 95% CI 1.31–18.35; OR = 6.88, 95% CI 1.10–42.80). The highest quartile of both serum vitamin B2 and B12 with CC genotype showed significant decreased ESCC risk (OR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.04–0.60; OR = 0.10, 95% CI 0.02–0.46). The ORs of p16 methylation for genotype CT and TT were 1.98 (95% CI 1.01–3.89) and 17.79 (95% CI 2.26–140.22) in EPL, 4.86 (95% CI 2.48–9.50) and 20.40 (95% CI 2.53–164.81) in ESCC, respectively. Similarly, p53 methylation with genotype TT was associated with increased EPL and ESCC risks (OR = 13.28, 95% CI 1.67–105.70; OR = 15.24, 95% CI 1.90–122.62). Conclusions The MTHFR C677T genotype and serum vitamin B2 or B12 levels may interact in ways which associated with the EPL and ESCC risks. The gene–gene interaction suggested that aberrant DNA methyaltion of either p16 or p53 combined with T alleles of MTHFR was associated with increased risks of both EPL and ESCC.

Abstract Background Lynch syndrome is the most common hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, and adenoma is one of the important premalignant lesions to colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome. The first objective of this study was to calculate the detection rate of Lynch syndrome in colorectal polyps by using mismatch repair immunohistochemistry as the initial screening strategy. The second objective of this study was to optimize screening strategies for adenoma associated with Lynch syndrome by integrating polyp and/or patient characteristics such as polyp size, location, dysplasia, age of onset and/or family history of cancer. Methods From June 2014 to May 2016, immunohistochemistry was performed for mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2) using endoscopically resected specimens obtained from newly diagnosed colorectal adenomas. Gene analysis was performed in patients with missing expression of mismatched repair protein. Results Five hundred and ten patients underwent colorectal polyp resection, with a total of 718 polyps. Five hundred and eight resected adenomas underwent mismatch repair protein immunohistochemical testing. Loss of mismatch repair protein expression was observed in six adenomas, accounting for 1.18% of all adenomas. Five patients then underwent genetic tests to identify two pathogenic mutations from different individuals, while another patient was suspected to have a pathogenic mutation. Three patients were younger than 50 years old. Two patients had advanced histology (high-grade dysplasia and malignant components) and one patient had a family history of cancer. Conclusion Immunohistochemical detection of colorectal polyp mismatch repair protein as Lynch syndrome screening efficiency is low. Effective screening strategies may be improved by optimizing patient/polyp selection, such as focusing on young adenoma patients with a family history of cancer, or patients who present with high-risk features (large size, villous, high-grade dysplasia and malignant components).

Most existing image quality assessment (IQA) methods focus on improving the performance of synthetic distorted images. Although these methods perform well on the synthetic distorted IQA database, once they are applied to the natural distorted database, the performance will severely decrease. In this work, we propose a blind image quality assessment based on generative adversarial network (BIQA-GAN) with its advantages of self-generating samples and self-feedback training to improve network performance. Three different BIQA-GAN models are designed according to the target domain of the generator. Comprehensive experiments on popular benchmarks show that our proposed method significantly outperforms the previous state-of-the-art methods for authentically distorted images, which also has good performances on synthetic distorted benchmarks.

Excessive alcohol consumption can induce gastric mucosal damage. The present work aimed to examine the protective effect of wheat peptides against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. Wheat peptides (WP) were administered daily by gavage for 30 days before the rats were treated with anhydrous ethanol (1 mL). Histological observations were performed, as well as the anti-oxidation effect and anti-inflammatory action. WP increased the superoxide dismutase activity and prostaglandin E-2 (PGE2) levels and decreased the malondialdehyde and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels. WP suppressed gastric mucosa inflammation through the reduction of TNF-α, MPO, IL-6, and IL-1β. WP repressed the expression of caspase-3, and enhanced the expression of anti-apoptotic protein EGFR. Furthermore, WP down-regulated protein expression levels of TLR4, MAPK and ERK, suggesting that WP have a potential effect to inhibit ethanol-induced inflammatory responses via blocking TLR4/MAPK/ERK signal transduction. The potential mechanism may be associated with enhancement of antioxidation, anti-inflammatory action and anti-apoptosis function.

(1) Background: hyperlipidemia is one of the cardiovascular diseases which becomes a great threat to the health of people worldwide. Oat beta-glucan is reported to have a beneficial effect on lowering blood lipids. To probe the effect of oat beta-glucan consumption on serum lipid profiles (total cholesterol, total triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol), we carried out a systematic search on randomized controlled trials of oat beta-glucan intervention on hypercholesterolemic individuals. (2) Methods: the pieces of literature were obtained from PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and the Embase from inception to 28 February 2022. The results were presented with the weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% CI. The random-effects or fixed-effects model was applied according to the heterogeneity. The subgroup analysis and meta-regression were used to identify the source of heterogeneity. (3) Results: thirteen trials with 927 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Overall, oat beta-glucan supplementation significantly reduced levels of TC (pooled WMD = −0.24 mmol/L; 95%CI: −0.28 to −0.20 mmol/L), LDL-c (pooled WMD = −0.27 mmol/L; 95%CI: −0.35 to −0.20 mmol/L). Furthermore, beta-glucan consumption did not show significant effects on TG (pooled WMD = −0.04 mmol/L; 95%CI: −0.13 to 0.05 mmol/L), HDL-c (pooled WMD = 0.00 mmol/L; 95%CI: −0.05 to 0.05 mmol/L). Subgroup analysis indicated that critical factors, such as disease severity of participants, the daily intervention of oat beta-glucan, source of oat beta-glucan, and duration of intervention had impacts on outcomes. (4) Conclusions: oat beta-glucan intake may significantly decrease the level of TC and LDL-c while no significant changes in TG and HDL-c were observed. This meta-analysis supports the health benefits of oat beta-glucan, especially for its cholesterol-lowering features, although it has some inevitable limitations.

Aims Previous studies suggest that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is associated with type 2 diabetes. However, few studies have evaluated the association between SIBO and beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether beta-cell function was associated with SIBO. Materials and methods One hundred four patients with type 2 diabetes were included in this study. Based on the presence of SIBO, the patients were divided into SIBO-positive and SIBO-negative groups. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed. Insulin sensitivity was measured using 1/homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (1/HOMA-IR) and the insulin sensitivity index (ISIM). Insulin release was calculated by HOMA-β, early-phase insulin secretion index InsAUC 30 /GluAUC 30 , and total-phase insulin secretion index InsAUC 120 /GluAUC 120 . Results Compared with the SIBO-negative group, patients in the SIBO-positive group showed a higher glucose level at 120 minutes, HbA1c, 1/HOMA-IR, and ISIM and a lower HOMA-β level, early-phase InsAUC 30 /GluAUC 30 , and total-phase InsAUC 120 /GluAUC 120 . Multiple linear regression analysis showed that body mass index, glucose at 0 minutes, and SIBO were independently associated with the early-phase and total-phase insulin secretion. Conclusion SIBO may be involved in lower levels of insulin release and worse glycemic control.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) has been reported to possess abundant bioactive activities, such as anti-cancer, antioxidant activities, anti-diabetes, immune function and anti-fatigue, however, whether it can influence the healthy adults, especially at metabolomics level is still unclear. Therefore, metabolomics effects of LBP on adults were investigated in the present study. 42 males were randomly divided into LBP supplementation (300 mg/d) and control group for 4 weeks, followed by anthropometric, biochemical indexes, and metabolic profiles detection. LBP was determined with 3.74 kDa, consisted of fucose, rhamnose, amino-galactose, galactose, glucose, mannose and fructose with a molar ratio of 0.02:0.08:0.03:0.11:46.67:0.37:4.72. Dietary LBP supplementation decreased the TG/HDL index significantly. d-talose decreased, phosphate and leucine increased significantly in serum. 4-Hydroxymandelonitrile 1 increased, and tyrosine 1, 3-Aminoisobutyric acid 1, threitol and ribose decreased significantly in urine. Eight metabolites were simultaneously assessed by indicating the glycerophospholipid metabolism and tyrosine metabolism after LBP supplementation in males.

Metabolic syndrome, a complex group of metabolic disorders of energy use and storage, is considered as an important determinant risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to examine the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and dietary pattern among adults in Jiangsu Province of China. Data were from three rounds of cross–sectional nutrition and diet investigation projects in Jiangsu Province of China, which were conducted in 2002, 2007, and 2014 by Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 13,944 participants with complete food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were eventually included in this study after further data screening. The 2009 Joint Interim Statement for China was used to define metabolic syndrome. Three distinct dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis: the modern dietary pattern (rich in pork, poultry, vegetables, seafood, pastry food, other animal meats, fruits, milk and its products, soft drink, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, but low in wheat), vegetable oils/condiments/soy products dietary pattern (rich in vegetable oils, other condiments, salt, soy products, and fruits and low in dry legumes), and modern high–wheat dietary pattern (rich in wheat, tubers, fruits, and other animal meats, but low in rice). Higher intake of the modern dietary pattern and modern high–wheat dietary pattern were positively associated with metabolic syndrome in both unadjusted and adjusted models by genders, whereas higher intake of the vegetable oils/condiments/soy products dietary pattern had a negative relationship with metabolic syndrome in both unadjusted and adjusted models by genders (p < 0.05). Our study recommends reducing the consumption of animal meat products, especially processed meat products, and replacing animal oils with vegetable oils as the main supply of daily oils. Furthermore, more prospective and experimental studies are needed to confirm the relationship between dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome.

Background: Observational studies have indicated beneficial effects of whole grain consumption on human health. However, no evidence based on randomized controlled trials has been established. Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effects of whole grain consumption in glycaemic control of diabetic patients. Methods: A comprehensive search in four databases (Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and Cochrane library) was conducted to collect potential articles which measured the roles of whole grain consumption on glycaemic control up to October 2021. Results: A total of 16 eligible trials involving 1068 subjects were identified to evaluate the pooled effect. The overall results indicated that compared with the control group, whole grain intake presented a significantly reduced concentration in fast plasma glucose (WMD = −0.51 mmol/L, 95% CI: −0.73, −0.28; I2 = 88.6%, p < 0.001), a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (WMD = −0.39 μU × mol/L2, 95% CI: −0.73, −0.04; I2 = 58.4%, p = 0.014), and glycosylated haemoglobin (WMD = −0.56%, 95% CI: −0.88, −0.25, I2 = 88.5%, p < 0.001), while no significant difference was observed in fast plasma insulin level between groups (SMD = −0.05, 95% CI: −0.25, 0.14; I2 = 40.7%, p = 0.120). In terms of incremental area under the curve (iAUC), data suggested that whole grain effected a significant decrease in Glucose-iAUC (WMD = −233.09 min × mmol/L, 95% CI: −451.62, −14.57; I2 = 96.1%, p < 0.001) and Insulin-iAUC (SMD = −4.80, 95% CI: −8.36, −1.23; I2 = 89.9%, p = 0.002), although only in a small number of studies. Of note, there is evidence for modest unexplained heterogeneity in the present meta-analysis. Conclusion: Whole grain consumption confers a beneficial effect on glucose metabolism in patients with diabetes. Regrettably, since relevant studies were scarce, we failed to provide confident evidence of whole grain consumption on acute effects including Glucose-iAUC and Insulin-iAUC, which should be addressed in further trials.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is gradually becoming one of the most common and health-endangering diseases; therefore, it is very important to prevent the occurrence of NASH and prevent simple non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) from further developing into NASH. We fed mice a high-fat diet (HFD, 60% fat) for 14 weeks to induce NAFL and then fed different doses of flaxseed powder (low (10%), middle (20%), and high (30%)) to the mice for 28 weeks. After the animal experiment, we analyzed fecal bile acid (BA) profiles of the HFD mice, flaxseed-fed (FLA-fed) mice, and control mice with a normal diet (10% fat) using a targeted metabolomics approach, and we analyzed the gut microbiota at the same time. We also investigated the mechanistic role of BAs in NASH and identified whether the altered BAs strongly bind to colonic FXR or TGR5. In the present study, we found that 28-week FLA treatment notably alleviated NASH development in NAFL model mice fed with an HFD, and the beneficial effects may be attributed to the regulation of and improvement in the gut flora- and microbiota-related BAs, which then activate the intestinal FXR-FGF15 and TGR5-NF-κB pathways. Our data indicate that FLA might be a promising functional food for preventing NASH through regulating microbiomes and BAs.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which has potent toxicity and carcinogenicity, is a common contaminant of important agricultural commodities. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of corn flour intake and assess the exposure to AFB1 via direct detection of AFB1 in the diet and serum AFB1 exposure biomarker, so as to evaluate their associations with the risk of esophageal precancerous lesions (EPL). A case-control study based on three-day duplicate diet samples was performed in Huai’an District. One hundred EPL cases and 100 healthy controls were enrolled and required to be age- (±2 years) and gender-matched. The concentration of AFB1 in food samples and the level of serum AFB1-albumin (AFB1-Alb) adduct were quantitatively analyzed. Results showed that corn flour intake was positively associated with serum AFB1-Alb adduct level (p for trend = 0.003), dietary AFB1 exposure (p for trend < 0.001), and the risk of EPL (p for trend = 0.017). Increased serum AFB1-Alb adduct level was associated with an increased risk of EPL as well (p for trend < 0.001). In conclusion, corn flour may be an essential source of AFB1 in Huai’an District, whereas high exposure to AFB1 is likely to be an important risk factor contributing to the progression of EPL.

Phylogenomic approaches, employing next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, have revolutionized systematic and evolutionary biology. Target enrichment is an efficient and cost-effective method in phylogenomics and is becoming increasingly popular. Depending on availability and quality of reference data as well as on biological features of the study system, (semi-)automated identification of suitable markers will require specific bioinformatic pipelines. Here, we established a highly flexible bioinformatic pipeline, BaitsFinder, to identify putative orthologous single copy genes (SCGs) and to construct bait sequences in a single workflow. Additionally, this pipeline has been constructed to be able to cope with challenging data sets, such as the nutritionally heterogeneous plant family Orobanchaceae. To this end, we used transcriptome data of differing quality available for four Orobanchaceae species and, as reference, SCG data from monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata, syn. Mimulus g.; 1,915 genes) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum; 391 genes). Depending on whether gaps were permitted in initial blast searches of the four Orobanchaceae species against the reference, our pipeline identified 1,307 and 981 SCGs with average length of 994 bp and 775 bp, respectively. Automated bait sequence construction (using 2× tiling) resulted in 38,170 and 21,856 bait sequences, respectively. In comparison to the recently published MarkerMiner 1.0 pipeline BaitsFinder identified about 1.6 times as many SCGs (of at least 900 bp length). Skipping steps specific to analyses of Orobanchaceae, BaitsFinder was successfully used in a group of non-parasitic plants (three Asteraceae species and, as reference, SCG data from Arabidopsis thaliana based on previously compiled SCGs). Thus, BaitsFinder is expected to be broadly applicable in groups, where only transcriptomes or partial genome data of differing quality are available.

The objective of this study is to investigate and compare the prevalence, knowledge, and attitudes of Chinese university students with respect to nutritional supplements. We conducted a cross-sectional study in several universities around China from January to December 2017, and enrolled a total of 8752 students. Of these, 4252 were medical students and 4500 were non-medical students. The use of nutritional supplements was reported by 58.9% in universities students, with a higher rate for medical students as compared to non-medical students. It was found 24.2% of participants had taken supplements in the past year. Medical students had a higher level of knowledge on nutritional supplements than non-medical students (p < 0.001). The most commonly used nutritional supplements were vitamin C, calcium, and vitamin B. Gender (p < 0.001), household income (p < 0.001), and health status (p < 0.001) were related to the nutritional supplement use after adjustment for related factors. In conclusion, in China, nutritional supplement use was found to be more common in medical students than those studying other disciplines, and was associated with sex, income, and health status. The attitude towards nutritional supplements by medical students was positive. Students’ knowledge levels about nutritional supplements need to be improved