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d-galactose-6-sulfurylase has potential application in the improvement of the carrageenan quality. The lyophilized and thermal stability of the Gal-6-sulfurylase prepared from Eucheuma striatum was investigated using selected chemical additives. The addition of 5 % ( w/ v) sucrose and trehalose to Gal-6-sulfurylase prior to lyophilization could retain nearly 100 % enzymatic activity, compared to only 19 % for the lyophilized control. The lyophilized Gal-6-sulfurylase containing sucrose maintained full activity for even 40 days storage at −20 °C. For Gal-6-sulfurylase solution, glycerol was effective for long-term stability at −20 °C. Moreover, polyol sucrose and amino acid glycine enhanced the thermal stability of Gal-6-sulfurylase, while polyol mannitol decreased the thermal stability of Gal-6-sulfurylase. The results show that the Gal-6-sulfurylase, found in the red alga E. striatum, was stabilized by the addition of chemical additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of burdock leaf and screen the antimicrobial compounds from burdock leaf based on metabolomics. The crystal violet assay indicated that 34 % ethanol elution fraction of burdock leaf could completely inhibit biofilm formation of Salmonellaty phimurium at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. Then, the chemical composition of burdock leaf fraction was analyzed by UPLC-MS, and 10 active compounds (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, ursolic acid, rutin, luteolin, crocin, benzoic acid, tenacissoside I) were identified. Lastly, UPLC-MS analysis was applied to obtain the metabolic fingerprints of burdock leaf fractions before and after inhibiting the biofilm of S. phimurium. The metabolic fingerprints were transformed into data with the software MarkerLynx and analyzed with principle component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis. Then, 43 variables were screened as potential anti-biofilm ingredients. Among them, chlorogenic acid and quercetin were confirmed as potential anti-biofilm compounds in burdock leaf. It provided data basic for the study of anti-biofilm compounds in burdock leaves, as well as provided a new and convenient method for fast screening of anti-biofilm ingredients from natural plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) accelerated the calcification in aorta of rats and rat vascular smooth muscle cells (RVSMCs). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the acceleration remains poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the role of calpain-1, Ca2+-sensitive intracellular cysteine proteases, in the vascular calcification of rats treated with both high dose of vitamin D2 and high cholesterol diet. The results showed that calpain activity significantly increased in calcified aortic tissue of rats and RVSMCs treated with oxLDL. Specific calpain inhibitor I (CAI, 0.5mg/kg, intraperitoneal) inhibited the vascular calcification in rats with hypercholesterolemia accompanied by the increase in the level of extracellular inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), the endogenous inhibitor of vascular calcification. In addition, CAI increased the content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), decreased the activity, mRNA and protein expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and reduced the production of superoxide anion in calcified aortic tissue. CAI also increased the activity of ATP synthase as well as protein expression of ATP5D, δ subunit of ATP synthase. In the in vitro study, suppression of calpain-1 using siRNA assay inhibited the calcium deposition, increased the levels of PPi and ATP, improved the activity of ATP synthase as well as protein expression of ATP5D in RVSMCs treated with oxLDL. Calpain-1 suppression also decreased the activity, mRNA and protein expression of ALP and reduced the mitochondrial ROS (Mito-ROS) production in RVSMCs. However, mito-TEMPO, the mitochondria-targeted ROS scavenger, reduced the calcium deposition, increased the PPi in culture medium, decreased the activity, mRNA and protein expression of ALP in RVSMCs treated with oxLDL. Taken together, the results suggested that calpain-1 activation plays critical role in vascular calcification caused by oxLDL, which might be mediated by PPi metabolism disorder. The results also implied that Mito-ROS might contribute to the PPi metabolism disorder through regulation of the activity and expression of ALP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic continuous normobaric hypoxia ( CNH) increases cardiac tolerance to acute ischaemia/reperfusion injury. The objective of this study was to find out whether the cardioprotective effect of CNH mediated by opioid receptors is associated with preservation of mitochondrial function. Rats were adapted to CNH (12% oxygen) for 3 weeks. Isolated perfused hearts were subjected to 45 min of global ischaemia and 30 min of reperfusion; subgroups were pretreated with non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (300 nmol/L) for 10 min. Cardiac contractile function, creatine kinase activity in coronary effluent, mitochondrial respiration rate, and calcium retention capacity were assessed. Adaptation to CNH decreased myocardial creatine kinase release during reperfusion and improved the post-ischaemic recovery of contractile function, mitochondrial state 3 and uncoupled respiration rates, and calcium retention capacity compared to the normoxic group. These protective effects were completely abolished by naloxone. The contractile recovery positively correlated with state 3 respiration and calcium retention capacity. The results suggest that the preserved mitochondrial function contributes to the protected cardiac phenotype afforded by adaptation to CNH and point to an important role of opioid receptor activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) extracted from Chinese medicine Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge, attenuates hypertrophy of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) induced by isoproterenol (Iso). The present study was designed to investigate the effects and the possible mechanism of APS on Iso-induced hypertrophy in rats and NRVMs with focus on tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling mediated energy biosynthesis. 36-Week old rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: (1) Control, rats received vehicle; (2) Iso, rats received isoproterenol injections; (3) Iso+APS, rats received isoproterenol injections and APS. NRVMs were divided into similar groups as rats. The results showed that combination of APS with Iso significantly attenuated the pathological changes, reduced the ratios of heart weight/body weight (HW/BW) and left ventricular weight/BW (LVW/BW), improved the cardiac hemodynamics, down-regulated mRNA and protein expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), increased the ratios of ATP/ADP and ATP/AMP, and decreased the content of free fatty acid (FFA) in heart tissue of rats compared with Iso alone. In addition, pretreatment with APS significantly decreased the surface area and protein content, down-regulated mRNA and protein expression of ANP, increased the ratios of ATP/ADP and ATP/AMP, and decreased the content of FFA in NRVMs compared with Iso alone. Furthermore, APS increased the protein expressions of ATP5D, the σ subunit of ATP synthase, PGC-1α and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) in tissue and NRVMs respectively and inhibited the production of TNF-α in serum and culture medium compared with Iso alone. The results suggested that APS attenuates Iso-induced cardiac hypertrophy through regulating TNF-α/PGC-1α signaling mediated energy biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that Astragaloside IV (ASIV), a major active constituent of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bge protects against cardiac hypertrophy in rats induced by isoproterenol (Iso), however the mechanism underlying the protection remains unknown. Dysfunction of cardiac energy biosynthesis contributes to the hypertrophy and Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB)/Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ Coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling gets involved in the dysfunction. The present study was designed to investigate the mechanism by which ASIV improves the cardiac hypertrophy with focuses on the NF-κB/PGC-1α signaling mediated energy biosynthesis. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats or Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes (NRVMs) were treated with Iso alone or in combination with ASIV. The results showed that combination with ASIV significantly attenuated the pathological changes, reduced the ratios of heart weight/body weight and Left ventricular weight/body weight, improved the cardiac hemodynamics, down-regulated mRNA expression of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) and Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), increased the ratio of ATP/AMP, and decreased the content of Free Fat Acid (FFA) in heart tissue of rats compared with Iso alone. In addition, pretreatment with ASIV significantly decreased the surface area and protein content, down-regulated mRNA expression of ANP and BNP, increased the ratio of ATP/AMP, and decreased the content of FFA in NRVMs compared with Iso alone. Furthermore, ASIV increased the protein expression of ATP5D, subunit of ATP synthase and PGC-1α, inhibited translocation of p65, subunit of NF-κB into nuclear fraction in both rats and NRVMs compared with Iso alone. Parthenolide (Par), the specific inhibitor of p65, exerted similar effects as ASIV in NRVMs. Knockdown of p65 with siRNA decreased the surface areas and increased PGC-1α expression of NRVMs compared with Iso alone. The results suggested that ASIV protects against Iso-induced cardiac hypertrophy through regulating NF-κB/PGC-1α signaling mediated energy biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-based metabolomic approach was developed to study influence of salidroside, an anti-fatigue ingredient from Rhoiola rosea , on urinary metabolic profiling of rats to a single dose of 180 mg/kg per day. Unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) and supervised orthogonal pre-projection to latent structures discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA) on metabolite profiling revealed obvious differentiation between the salidroside treated groups and controls in both positive and negative ion modes. Eleven urinary metabolites contributing to the differentiation were identified as anti-fatigue biomarkers: N-acetylserotonin, 2-Methoxyestrone 3-glucuronide, Taurine, Melatonin, Sorbitol, Geranyl diphosphate, Z-nucleotide, Cortisone, Dihydrocortisol, Sebacic acid, Pregnenolone sulfate. The physiological significance of these biomarkers is discussed. The work showed that metabolomics is a powerful tool in studying the anti-fatigue effects of natural compound salidroside on multiple targets in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abuse of methamphetamine (METH) increases the risk of occurrence of Parkinson׳s disease (PD) in the individuals. Increased expression of synaptic protein α-synuclein (encoded by gene Snca ) is remarkably associated with the neuronal loss and motor dysfunction in the patients with PD. The present study aimed to explore the epigenetic mechanism underlying the altered expression of α-synuclein in substantia nigra in the rats previously exposed to METH. Exposure to METH induced significant behavioral impairments in the rotarod test and open field test, as well as the upregulation of cytokine synthesis in the substantia nigra. Significantly increased expression of α-synuclein was also observed in the substantia nigra in the rats exposed to METH. Further chromatin immunoprecipitation and bisulfite sequencing studies revealed a significantly decreased cytosine methylation in the Snca promoter region in the rats exposed to METH. It was found that the occupancy of methyl CpG binding protein 2 and DNA methyltransferase 1 in Snca promoter region was also significantly decreased in the substantia nigra in the modeled rats. These results advanced our understanding on the mechanism of the increased incidence of PD in the individuals with history use of METH, and shed novel lights on the development of therapeutic approaches for the patients conflicted with this neurological disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike the most of α-alkoxy coordination in α-hydroxycarboxylates to vanadium, novel α-hydroxy coordination to vanadium(IV) has been observed for a series of chiral and achiral monomeric α-hydroxycarboxylato vanadyl complexes [VO(H 2 cit)(bpy)]·2H 2 O ( 1 ), [VO(Hmal)(bpy)]·H 2 O ( 2 ), [VO(H 2 cit)(phen)]·1.5H 2 O ( 3 ), [VO(Hmal)(phen)]·H 2 O ( 4 ), and [ Δ VO( S -Hcitmal)(bpy)]·2H 2 O ( 5 ), [VO(H 2 cit)(phen)] 2 ·6.5H 2 O ( 6 ), which were isolated from the reactions of vanadyl sulfate with α-hydroxycarboxylates and N -heterocycle ligands in acidic solution. The complexes feature a tridentate citrate, malate or citramalate that chelates to vanadium atom through their α-hydroxy, α-carboxy and β-carboxy groups; while the other β-carboxylic acidic group of citrate is free to participate strong hydrogen bonds with lattice water molecule. The neutral α-hydroxy group also forms strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds with water molecule and the negatively-charged α-carboxy group in the environment. The inclusion of a hydrogen ion in α-alkoxy group results in the formation of a series of neutral complexes with one less positive charge. There are two different configurations of citrate with respect to the trans -position of axial oxo group, where the complex with trans -hydroxy configuration seems more stable with less hindrance. The average bond distances of V O hydroxy and V O α-carboxy are 2.196 and 2.003 Å respectively, which are comparable to the V O distance (2.15 Å) of homocitrate in FeV-cofactor of V-nitrogenase. A new structural model is suggested for R -homocitrato iron vanadium cofactor as VFe 7 S 9 C( R -Hhomocit) (H 4 homocit = homocitric acid) with one more proton in homocitrate ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new route to iron carbonyls has enabled synthesis of 57Fe-labeled [NiFe] hydrogenase mimic (OC)3 57Fe(pdt)Ni(dppe). Its study by nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy revealed Ni--57Fe vibrations, as confirmed by calculations. The modes are absent for [(OC)3 57Fe(pdt)- Ni(dppe)]+, which lacks Ni--57Fe bonding, underscoring the utility of the analyses in identifying metal--metal interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel on-line three-dimensional liquid chromatography method was developed to separate four main flavonoids from Rhodiola rosea. Ethyl acetate/0.5 mol/L ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride aqueous solution was selected as the solvent system. In the first-dimension separation, the target flavonoids were entrapped and subsequently desorbed into the second-dimension high-speed countercurrent chromatographic column for separation. In the third-dimension chromatography, the residual ionic liquid in the four separated flavonoids was removed and the used ionic liquid was recovered. As a result, 35.1 mg of compound 1, 20.4 mg of compound 2, 8.5 mg of compound 3, and 10.6 mg of compound 4 were obtained from 1.53 g R. rosea extract. They were identified as rhodiosin, rhodionin, herbacetin, and kaempferol, respectively. The recovery of ionic liquid reached 99.1% of the initial amount. The results showed that this method is a powerful technology for the separation of R. rosea flavonoids and that the ionic-liquid-based solvent system has advantages over traditional solvent systems in renewable and environmentally friendly properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibition effects of burdock leaf ethanol fraction on the viability, biofilm formation of food-related bacteria and the mechanism were first investigated. The results showed that burdock leaf ethanol fraction significantly inhibited the formation of biofilm by Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The lowest concentration of the fraction that showed 100 % inhibition on the formation of L. monocytogenes biofilm was 2.50 mg/ml, which was equal to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against bacterial growth. As for S. aureus, the lowest concentration of burdock leaf fraction that completely inhibited (100 %) the formation of biofilm was found to be 1.25 mg/ml, which was lower than MIC of the fraction (2.5 mg/ml). Thus, the biofilm inhibition effect of burdock leaf fraction against S. aureus was not completely due to the inhibition on bacteria growth. Then, the effects of burdock leaf fraction on quorum sensing signals were evaluated through GC-MS/MS analysis. The results indicated that burdock leaf fraction interfered with quorum sensing system and changed the composition of signaling molecules, thereby affecting the function of the quorum sensing system, significantly inhibiting the formation of biofilm. Then, the chemical composition of burdock leaf fraction was analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-MS/MS and eight active compounds were identified. The burdock leaf fraction based on its interfering with quorum sensing systems and the significant inhibition on the formation of biofilm could be highly useful in control of biofilms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel synthesis strategy of sodium alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel beads promoted by hydrogen bond was described. The beads were prepared by dropping the blends of two polymers into the citric acid solution. Besides hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions were also involved in the formation of the hydrogel beads. The thermal stability experiments revealed that the more the content of carboxymethyl chitosan, the better the thermal stability of the beads. The beads exhibited excellent pH sensitivity, pH reversibility, and lactoferrin loading capacity. The swelling ratio of the bead and its protein releasing profile was pH-dependent, which could prevent premature protein release in the gastric environment. Also, the circular dichroism results demonstrated that lactoferrin could maintain its structure during the loading and releasing process. The obtained results revealed that the hydrogel beads prepared in this work could be used as a potential protein carrier for oral delivery. [Display omitted] • A novel and green method was proposed to synthesize SA/CMCS hydrogel beads. • Hydrogen bonding promoted the formation of the hydrogel beads. • The beads showed excellent pH sensitivity and protein encapsulation capacity. • The beads could prevent premature protein release in a harsh gastric environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and simple process for the preparative extraction, separation, and purification of high-purity (–)-borneol and xanthoxylin, synchronously, from the leaves ofBlumea balsamifera(L.) DC was developed. Simultaneous distillation and extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and recrystallization were applied to the preparation. Two objective compounds with the purity of 98% were obtained, and the losses were minimal during the whole procedure. It is the first time that the preparation of high-purity (–)-borneol and xanthoxylin at the same time were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insoluble peptide aggregates formed by proteolysis are usually discarded by food industries, which results in significant wastage of resources and burden on the related industries. In the present study, insoluble peptide aggregates formed during enzymatic hydrolysis of goat milk casein protein (GCA) were used to prepare goat milk casein nanoparticles (GCP) using a controlled pH-shifting treatment. Next, hydrophobic curcumin (Cur) was embedded in the GCP core, and nano-scale stable hydrophilic particles (GCP-Cur) were successfully prepared. The XRD and FT-TR spectroscopy results showed that the Cur was successfully encapsulated in GCP nanoparticles in an amorphous form, and Cur loading does not cause conformational changes. The morphological results also verified the successful design of the GCP-Cur nanoparticles. Furthermore, the GCP-Cur nanoparticles significantly improved the water solubility, storage stability, in vitro bioaccessibility, and antioxidant activity of Cur. Moreover, the anti-gastric digestion properties of GCP-Cur nanoparticles could control the effective release of Cur from the composite particles into the intestine, and can thus be used as a potential delivery carrier for biologically activity. This research provides theoretical and technical guidance for the development and high-value application of these low-value peptide byproducts. • pH-shifting processes of insoluble goat milk casein aggregates (GCA) were studied. • pH- shifting formation of goat milk casein nanoparticles (GCP) from GCA. • GCP exhibited good thermal storage stability and smaller average particle size. • Curcumin (Cur) was successfully loaded in GCP by controlled pH-shifting processes. • The antioxidant activity, solubility and stability of Cur were improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • EGCG bilosomes were successfully prepared by ethanol injection method. • EGCG niosomes had the highest long-term stability. • EGCG bilosomes had the highest stability in simulated gastrointestinal tract. • EGCG bilosomes can significantly improve the bioavailability of EGCG. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has a variety of biological activities, but exhibits poor stability and low bioavailability. In this study, EGCG bilosome was prepared and characterized, and its stability during different storage conditions (pH, NaCl concentration, and temperature) and in gastrointestinal fluid was evaluated and compared with liposomes and niosomes. Among them, EGCG niosomes had the highest pH stability, and the existence of sodium cholate reduced the stability of bilosomes in acidic medium. EGCG stability was significantly increased in the presence of salt ions (0–100 mM NaCl) and under different temperatures (25 °C, 37 °C) when delivered as niosomes and bilosomes. Retention rate of EGCG in bilosomes was 71.64 ± 4.05% after incubation in simulated intestinal fluid for 2 h, which was significantly higher than retention rate of EGCG liposomes (24.02 ± 3.95%) and niosomes (55.74 ± 6.85%), thus indicating greater gastrointestinal stability of EGCG bilosomes. Furthermore, bioavailability of EGCG encapsulated in bilosomes was improved by 1.98 times. Overall, these findings indicate that EGCG bilosomes, as a new delivery system, had great potential application as a means to improve stability and bioavailability of EGCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Model community-level energy by combining GIS, simulation, and data-driven approaches. • Propose a GIS-based urban building energy modeling method with low computational cost. • Generate various prototype buildings through two-stage clustering process to describe buildings' diversity. • Integrate urban building energy modeling with global sensitivity analysis to discovery urban planning factors. • Identify FAR and BCR as the most influential factors affecting communities' energy use. The residential sector accounts for an increasing amount of global energy use with continued urbanization. Residential energy-informed urban planning offers an economical and easy-to-operate approach to achieve more efficient urban energy utilization. However, quantifying the interactions between residential energy and urban planning remains an open challenge. This study proposes a holistic approach integrating GIS techniques, building energy modeling, and a global sensitivity analysis to prioritize eight key urban planning factors on the community energy performance based on a building energy dataset. The dataset, including urban planning and building information, was first established using GIS techniques and validated using survey data. The residential energy performance model at the community scale was developed using the clustering tree structure of residential building prototypes and building performance simulations. A combined data-driven and global sensitivity analysis approach was further applied to prioritize the impacts of eight vital urban planning factors on energy use intensity and peak load intensity. A case study of 1963 communities in Shanghai revealed that, for the energy performance of residential communities, the floor area ratio and building coverage ratio are the most influential factors, followed by the maximum height and high-rise proportion having a relatively low impact but higher than other factors. Overall, the proposed holistic approach generates robust insights into urban-scale residential energy performance, which can effectively inform urban planners to achieve more energy-efficient regulatory planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three types of PW additives with different M w were compared in this paper. • A good correlation was found between M w and the modified effects of PW additives. • The moisture susceptibility of PW modified mix was evaluated by a new parameter SSR. • OPW showed the best modifying performance due to its uniform microstructure. This study aims at investigating the influence of polyethylene wax (PW) additives on the performance of modified asphalt binders and mixtures. Three types of PW additives, including low density wax (LDPW), high density wax (HDPW), and oxidized polyethylene wax (OPW) were selected with different molecular weight (M w). Fischer-Tropsch wax (FTW) and Montan wax (MW) additives were also selected for comparison. Then, several laboratory tests were conducted, including performance grade test, storage ability test, viscosity test, workability test, wheel tracking test, Hamburg wheel tracking device test (HWTD), tensile strength ratio (TSR) test, bending beam test and semi-circular bending (SCB) test. Besides, the fluorescence microscopy test was conducted to investigate the modifying mechanism of different wax additives. Results indicate that, almost all tested wax additives improve the high temperature stability and moisture resistance capacity of the asphalt mixture, while reduce the low temperature stability. As the M w increases, the rational viscosity of the asphalt binder, the moisture resistance capacity and low temperature stability of PW modified asphalt mixture increases, while the storage stability decreases. PW additives perform better in low temperature cracking resistance capacity than AMW and FTW. OPW has the best modifying performance among all selected PW additives due to the uniform microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tannic acid (TA) can strongly interact with proteins to improve the stability of protein-based nanoparticles. In the present study, the complexation of TA with bovine lactoferrin (LF) was investigated at pH 6.0. The size and turbidity of the LF-TA complexes did not change significantly until the LF/TA molar ratio was over a critical value of 1:8. Zeta potential of LF-TA was gradually negative as the TA content increased, indicating that there were electrostatic interactions between LF and TA. The circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy confirmed that TA could further reduce the α-helix and increase the β-sheet content of LF significantly, resulting in a more compact structure of LF. The fluorescence spectra revealed that the interaction between LF and TA caused intramolecular quenching of LF, and the values of K sv increased with temperature, indicating that static quenching was involved in the interaction between LF and TA. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the reaction between LF and TA proceed spontaneously, and hydrophobic interactions were the major interaction force. Molecular docking suggested that the binding site of TA and LF was in the inter-leaf region where the two lobes were connected by a spiral. Besides, the proteolytic digestion experiments testified that the addition of TA could reduce the digestibility of LF. Information derived from this work suggests that the addition of TA in LF systems could improve the digestive stability of bio-complex for oral delivery of functional constituents. [Display omitted] • Interaction between bovine lactoferrin (LF) and tannic acid (TA) was analyzed. • The interaction between LF and TA led to a more compact structure of LF. • Hydrophobic interaction was predominant in LF-TA complex. • The interaction between LF and TA reduced the digestibility of LF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: [NiFe]-hydrogenase; biocatalysis; in situ spectroscopy; metalloenzymes; vibrational spectroscopy EN [NiFe]-hydrogenase biocatalysis in situ spectroscopy metalloenzymes vibrational spectroscopy 1 1 1 07/10/21 20210712 NES 210712 B Metalloenzymes b In their Research Article on page 15854, Christian Lorent, Marius Horch, Lars Lauterbach, Ingo Zebger et al. explore redox intermediates of [NiFe]-hydrogenases by an advanced experimental approach for solvated, lyophilized, and crystallized metalloenzymes. Frontispiece: Exploring Structure and Function of Redox Intermediates in [NiFe]-Hydrogenases by an Advanced Experimental Approach for Solvated, Lyophilized and Crystallized Metalloenzymes [NiFe]-hydrogenase, biocatalysis, in situ spectroscopy, metalloenzymes, vibrational spectroscopy. [Extracted from the article]

Redox-Intermediate von [NiFe]-Hydrogenasen durch einen experimentellen Ansatz für solvatisierte, lyophilisierte und kristallisierte Metalloenzyme. Frontispiz: Ein neuer Aufbau zur Untersuchung der Struktur und Funktion von solvatisierten, lyophilisierten und kristallinen Metalloenzymen - veranschaulicht anhand von [NiFe]-Hydrogenasen Keywords: [NiFe]-Hydrogenasen; Biokatalyse; In-situ-Spektroskopie; Metalloenzyme; Schwingungsspektroskopie DE [NiFe]-Hydrogenasen Biokatalyse In-situ-Spektroskopie Metalloenzyme Schwingungsspektroskopie 1 1 1 07/10/21 20210712 NES 210712 B Metalloenzyme b Im Forschungsartikel auf S. 15988 erforschen Christian Lorent, Marius Horch, Lars Lauterbach, Ingo Zebger et al. [Extracted from the article]

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), the major active constituent purified from Astragalus membranaceus , was previously reported to have protective effects against cardiac dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of AS-IV on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cardiac dysfunction and explored the potential mechanism by focusing on miRNA-1 (miR-1) at the animal and cellular levels. A series of methods were used, including echocardiography, flow cytometry, ELISA, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, RT-PCR, and western blotting. The results showed that both AS-IV and the miR-1 inhibitor improved cardiac dysfunction, reduced heart injury, inhibited apoptosis and autophagy, and regulated the expression of calcium- and mitochondrial energy metabolism-related proteins in the heart tissue of rats treated with LPS. Importantly, AS-IV downregulated the expression of miR-1 mRNA in heart tissue. All effects of AS-IV were at least partly abolished by miR-1 mimics. In the in vitro study, both AS-IV and the miR-1 inhibitor inhibited apoptosis and autophagy and regulated the expression of calcium- and mitochondrial energy metabolism-related proteins in heart cells treated with LPS. Similarly, AS-IV downregulated the expression of miR-1 mRNA in heart cells. All effects of AS-IV on cells were at least partly abolished by miR-1 mimics. Furthermore, miR-1 mimics exhibited effects similar to LPS both in animal and cellular studies. Taken together, these results suggest that AS-IV protects against LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction by inhibiting calcium-mediated apoptosis and autophagy by targeting miR-1, highlighting a new mechanism for the therapeutic effect of AS-IV on cardiac dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluated the effects of enzymatic-chemical extraction (EC-SDF), subcritical water extraction (SW-SDF), and ultrasonic-chemical extraction (UC-SDF) processes on the yield, chemical composition, structural characterization, flow behavior, physicochemical, and functional properties of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) from defatted coconut flour (DCF). The optimum conditions of these three extraction methods were evaluated by response surface methodology. Compared with EC-SDF and UC-SDF, SW-SDF had the maximum yield (13.99 ± 0.12 g/100g). The structural results indicated that SW-SDF and UC-SDF possessed more complex and porous structures than EC-SDF and DCF. Moreover, they showed smaller molecular weight, stronger gelling property, higher thermal stability, and lower crystallinity. A monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that the major sugars in EC-SDF, UC-SDF and UC-SDF were mannose and galactose. Notably, the SW-SDF demonstrated the highest water and oil holding capacity, glucose adsorption, pancreatic lipase inhibition, cholesterol adsorption, and nitrite ion adsorption capacities. The above results suggest the defatted coconut flour to be a potential functional food and a possible source of cheap natural dietary fiber. • Soluble dietary fiber was recovered from the defatted coconut flour. • Three different methods were used to extract soluble dietary fiber. • The composition, structure and properties of the extracts were compared. • Subcritical water extraction method had the highest physicochemical properties. • The defatted coconut flour has great potential for the application in functional food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium graminearum , a devastating pathogenic fungus of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), causes fusarium head blight (FHB) and produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON). This study aimed to explore the potency of myriocin to control postharvest infection of F. graminearum in wheat grains. Myriocin showed excellent antifungal activity against F. graminearum , as evidenced through inhibition on spore germination and mycelial growth. The mechanism of action was investigated by analyzing changes of cell membrane permeability and serine palmitoyl transferase (SPT) activity. Results indicated that myriocin inhibited F. graminearum by disrupting permeability of membrane and result in release of cellular contents. Myriocin suppressed the SPT activity and molecular docking also proved the sC interaction of myriocin-SPT. Significant morphological alterations were observed in SEM imaging, including holes on the hyphae, contraction and disruption of mycelia. In addition, myriocin also showed inhibitory effect on toxigenic activity of F. graminearum in wheat grains by reducing more than 99.0% of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its derivative 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON) synthesis. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that TRI5 gene expression was downregulated by myriocin and results in the reduction of toxicity. Overall, myriocin exerted effective fungicidal activity to control F. graminearum contamination in wheat grains and provided a lead compound to develop more alternatives for pathogen control. • Myriocin inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth of F. graminearum. • Myriocin exerted a powerful fungicidal effect by disrupting plasma membrane. • Myriocin affected membrane integrity by inhibiting biological activity of SPT. • Myriocin exerted inhibitory efficacy on deoxynivalenol production in wheat grains. • Myriocin reduced toxicity of F. graminearum by downregulating TRI5 gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy flexibility in demand response building is experimentally investigated. • Passive building thermal mass and active energy storage systems are coupled. • Pre-cooling and temperature reset are considered to assess energy flexibility. • Short-term (0.5 h) and intermediate-term (2 h) demand response are achieved. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, combined with the internal thermal mass of buildings, have been deemed to be promising means of providing demand response (DR) resources, particularly for buildings with active energy storage systems. DR resources, such as peak-load reduction potential, can provide grid-responsive support resulting in a high degree of grid involvement and high flexible electricity demand. In the DR field, the potential of HVAC load flexibility has been considered in buildings. In the future smart buildings, it is important to take advantage of demand-side resources to achieve real-time energy supply–demand balance sustainably. In this context, DR potential and characteristics of buildings play a pivotal role in DR programs. However, few studies have investigated the internal thermal mass's heat release and DR characteristics of buildings. Thus, a systematic experiment is conducted to study the DR potential and characteristics of internal thermal mass and active storage systems. The DR resources include the passive cooling storage from furniture, building envelope and an active water storage tank. Two DR control strategies, including pre-cooling and temperature resetting, are analyzed in this study. The experimental results show that the strategies are effective for short-term (0.5 h) and intermediate-term (2 h) DR programs. For a long-term DR program, active energy storage technology such as a water storage tank is required to satisfy the occupant's comfort requirements. Hence, we conclude that passive thermal mass and active storage systems should be simultaneously considered in practical DR programs for better DR implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ablation defect on underground pipeline can be caused by lightning strike. • The ablation pit depth is proportionate to Component C of lightning current. • The ablation affected surface layer of steel has worsened grain size distribution. • The ablation affected zone has high hardness and thus poor mechanical properties. • The ablation defect should be ground off to ensure pipeline operation safety. The phenomena lightning causes failure of buried pipelines, in the form of ablation pits on pipe wall, have been reported several times in the past, and there are only few studies focusing on the formation of such failure and the impact to structural integrity in service. To study factors causing the formation of ablation pits on pipelines, lightning strike simulation experiments were conducted on pipeline steel specimens by means of an impulse current generator facility. With the obtained steel specimens from the simulation experiments, combined with the failure samples obtained in the field, metallographic examination and mechanical property tests were carried out for further fitness-for-service analysis. The results showed that the field failure samples had consistent properties with the laboratory specimens. The microstructure of the damage part transitioned in the order of, from the ablation zone inward to the matrix, a remelting zone, an HAZ surface layer, an HAZ subsurface layer, an HAZ innermost layer, and the matrix. The field and laboratory ablation failure samples showed similar changing trend of hardness, i.e., gradually decreasing from the remelting zone to the matrix. These observations demonstrate that the damage parts have distinct mechanical properties from the normal matrix. In conclusion, the ablation failure caused by lightning strike had severe impacts to the pipeline material itself, which necessitated thorough repair of the HAZ by grinding or other measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tangeretin (TAN) is a biologically functional polymethoxylated flavonoid, extracted from the Citrus Peel (Chenpi). Although 5-demethyltangeretin (5-DT) generated through hydrolysis using a TAN precursor has superior biological function to TAN, its traditional preparation methods are difficult due to environmental hazard and low efficiency processes. In this study, the phosphoric acid (a kind of edible acids) was screened as catalysts of TAN hydrolysis conversion to 5-DT. The main conversion-influencing factors of reaction (material/liquid ratio, temperature and time) were investigated and the antioxidant activity of the modified products was determined by measuring DPPH (Diphenylpicrylbenzoquinone) free radical scavenging capacity and total reducing power. The phosphoric acid/ethanol (v/v) ratio of 7:3, material/liquid (g/L) ratio of 2:1, conversion temperature of 175 °C and conversion time of 2 h were attained as optimal conditions with a 93.71% conversion rate. Further, in vitro antioxidant and anti-lipase experiments confirmed that 5-DT was superior to TAN in total reducing power, scavenging capacity of DPPH free radicals (p < 0.01) and inhibition of lipase activities. Therefore, phosphoric acid is proposed as an alternative catalyst for the modification of TAN. Further, it provided technical support for the industrial production of 5DT and its application in functional foods. • Phosphoric acid can catalyse the conversion of TAN to 5-DT (conversion rate 93.71%). • An efficient and environmentally friendly method was proposed for 5-DT preparation. • The transformed 5-DT increased antioxidant and anti-lipase activity compared to TAN. • The proposed method shows a broad application prospects in functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular endothelial cells act as a selective barrier between circulating blood and vessel wall and play an important role in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. Astragaloside IV (As-IV) has a protective effect on vascular endothelial cells, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of As-IV on endothelial dysfunction (ED). Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) were injected intraperitoneally with 65 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes and then administered orally with As-IV (40, 80 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. Vascular function was evaluated by vascular reactivity in vivo and in vitro. The expression of calpain-1 and eNOS in the aorta of diabetic rats was examined by western blot. NO production was measured using nitrate reductase method. Oxidative stress was determined by measuring SOD, GSH-px and ROS. Our results showed that As-IV administration significantly improved diabetes associated ED in vivo , and both NAC (an antioxidant) and MDL-28170 (calpain-1 inhibitor) significantly attenuated hyperglycemia-induced ED in vitro. Meanwhile, pretreatment with the inhibitor l-NAME nearly abolished vasodilation to ACh in all groups of rats. Furthermore, As-IV increased NO production and the expression of eNOS in the thoracic aorta of diabetic rats. In addition, the levels of ROS were significantly increased, and the activity of SOD and GSH-px were decreased in diabetic rats, while As-IV administration reversed this change in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that As-IV improves endothelial dysfunction in thoracic aortas from diabetic rats by reducing oxidative stress and calpain-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure/material requires simultaneous consideration of both its design and manufacturing processes to dramatically enhance its manufacturability, assembly and maintainability. In this work, a novel design framework for structural/material with a desired mechanical performance and compelling topological design properties achieved using origami techniques is presented. The framework comprises four procedures, including topological design, unfold, reduction manufacturing, and fold. The topological design method, i.e., the solid isotropic material penalization (SIMP) method, serves to optimize the structure in order to achieve the preferred mechanical characteristics, and the origami technique is exploited to allow the structure to be rapidly and easily fabricated. Topological design and unfold procedures can be conveniently completed in a computer; then, reduction manufacturing, i.e., cutting, is performed to remove materials from the unfolded flat plate; the final structure is obtained by folding out the plate from the previous procedure. A series of cantilevers, consisting of origami parallel creases and Miura-ori (usually regarded as a metamaterial) and made of paperboard, are designed with the least weight and the required stiffness by using the proposed framework. The findings here furnish an alternative design framework for engineering structures that could be better than the 3D-printing technique, especially for large structures made of thin metal materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fullerene nanostructures are well known for their unique morphology, physical and mechanical properties. The thermal stability of fullerene nanostructures, such as their sublimation at high temperature is also very important for studying their structures and applications. In this work, We observed fullerene nanowhiskers (FNWs) in situ with scanning helium ion microscopy (HIM) at elevated temperatures. The FNWs exhibited different stabilities with different thermal histories during the observation. The pristine FNWs were decomposed at the temperatures higher than 300 °C in a vacuum environment. Other FNWs were protected from decomposition with an amorphous carbon (aC) film deposited on the surface. Based on high spacial resolution, aC film with periodic structure was deposited by helium ion beam induced deposition (IBID) on the surface of FNWs. Annealed at the high temperature, the fullerene molecules were selectively sublimated from the FNWs. The periodic structure was formed on the surface of FNWs and observed by HIM. Monte Carlo simulation and Raman characterization proved that the morphology of the FNWs was changed by helium IBID at high temperature. This work provides a new method of fabricating artificial structure on the surface of FNWs with periodic aC film as a mask. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]