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This study investigated the association between the decline of the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and several family-level and individual-level factors among 6- to 18-year-old Taiwanese children from 2012 to 2020.This study used data from the 2012 and 2020 Taiwan National Oral Health Survey of Children and Adolescents. Both surveys used similar methods and were performed in the same study age group. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on parents' sociodemographic background; the number of children in the family; oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours; and children's dietary habits. Dental caries was recorded through standardized oral examinations. Multivariable multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were used to determine the association between family-level and individual-level factors and the DMFT index from 2012 to 2020.A total of 10 217 and 10 436 schoolchildren completed the oral examinations and questionnaires in the 2012 and 2020 surveys, respectively. The adjusted mean DMFT index of 12-year-old Taiwanese schoolchildren in 2020 was 2.01, denoting a significant decline from 2.50 in 2012 (adjusted mean ratio = 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17, 0.23, p .0001). Furthermore, children who often consumed sugar-rich drinks had a significantly higher risk (mean ratio = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.10) of having DMFT than those who seldom consumed such drinks (p = .017).In the period of 2012-2020, the DMFT index among Taiwanese children significantly declined. Children who often consumed sugar-rich drinks had a higher DMFT index than those who seldom consumed such drinks. Our findings are valuable to paediatricians, dentists, nutritionists, and public health policymakers.

Background Nanoparticles can improve the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Concomitant intake of food can affect pharmacokinetic profiles by altering dissolution, absorption, metabolism, and elimination behavior. Studies on the effects of food and its supplements on the bioavailability of bioactives in nanoformulations are few. In this study, the effects of typical food (milk, sugar, high-fat diet, and regular kibble) and a widely consumed probiotic (Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12®, Bb-12) on the bioavailability of curcumin in four formulations [simply suspended curcumin (Cur-SS) and curcumin in nanoemulsions (Cur-NE), single-walled carbon nanotubes (Cur-SWNT), and nanostructured lipid carriers (Cur-NLC)] were investigated. Results Fasting treatment and sugar co-ingestion can significantly enhance the bioavailability of curcumin in Cur-NE and Cur-SWNT, respectively. Compared with the fasting treatment, co-ingestion with regular kibble reduced the absorption of curcumin in Cur-NE and Cur-SWNT. Ingesting milk along with Cur-NE is also not recommended. The mechanisms behind these phenomena were briefly discussed. This study revealed for the first time that the intestinal colonization of Bb-12 reduces the bioavailability of curcumin and this reduction can be attenuated by nanoformulations SWNT and NLC, but not NE. The reason for this difference was the protective effects of the former two nanoformulations against curcumin degradation by Bb-12 according to in vitro experiments. Conclusion Dietary status (including supplementary probiotics) can dramatically influence the bioavailability of curcumin in nanoformulations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Elucidating hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) mechanisms in alkaline conditions is vital for understanding and improving the efficiency of anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells. However, uncertainty remains around the alkaline HOR mechanism owing to a lack of direct in situ evidence of intermediates. In this study, in situ electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and DFT were used to study HOR processes on PtNi alloy and Pt surfaces, respectively. Spectroscopic evidence indicates that adsorbed hydroxy species (OHad ) were directly involved in HOR processes in alkaline conditions on the PtNi alloy surface. However, OHad species were not observed on the Pt surface during the HOR. We show that Ni doping promoted hydroxy adsorption on the platinum-alloy catalytic surface, improving the HOR activity. DFT calculations also suggest that the free energy was decreased by hydroxy adsorption. Consequently, tuning OH adsorption by designing bifunctional catalysts is an efficient method for promoting HOR activity.

The alkyne is a biologically significant moiety found in many natural products and a versatile functional group widely used in modern chemistry. Recent studies have revealed the biosynthesis of acetylenic bonds in fatty acids and amino acids. However, the molecular basis for the alkynyl moiety in acetylenic prenyl chains occurring in a number of meroterpenoids remains obscure. Here, we identify the biosynthetic gene cluster and characterize the biosynthetic pathway of an acetylenic meroterpenoid biscognienyne B based on heterologous expression, feeding experiments, and in vitro assay. This work shows that the alkyne moiety is constructed by an unprecedented cytochrome P450 enzyme BisI, which shows promiscuous activity towards C5 and C15 prenyl chains. This finding provides an opportunity for discovery of new compounds, featuring acetylenic prenyl chains, through genome mining, and it also expands the enzyme inventory for de novo biosynthesis of alkynes.

Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Fructus Tribuli can improve sexual function and treat cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we focused on comparing the pharmacokinetics of crude Fructus Tribuli (CFT) and stir-fried Fructus Tribuli (SFT) to further clarify the changes in chemical composition in vivo. The quantitation of six analytes was performed in a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer using the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Separation was performed on a Halo® C18 column using 0.05% formic acid and 5 μmol/L sodium formate in water, and 0.05% formic acid and 5 μmol/L sodium formate in acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The selectivity, precision, accuracy, extraction recovery, matrix effect and stability of the method were fully validated. Compared with the crude group, the parameters Cmax and AUC0-t of terrestroside B and terrestrosin K increased significantly (P < 0.05), but the Cmax and AUC0-t of polianthoside D, terrestrinin D, tribuluside A and terrestrosin D were decreased, terrestrosin D being especially decreased (P < 0.05), after oral administration of SFT extract. These results showed that the developed method was suitable for pharmacokinetic analysis of the six steroid saponins of CFT and SFT in rat plasma, and can be used to facilitate future clinical studies.

BACKGROUND The risk of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is influenced by aberrant DNA methylation and altered nucleotide synthesis and repair, possibly caused by polymorphic variants in one-carbon metabolism genes. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between polymorphisms belonging to the one-carbon metabolic pathway and CHB infection. METHODS A case-control study using 230 CHB patients and 234 unrelated healthy controls was carried out to assess the genetic association of 24 single nucleotide polymorphisins (SNPs) determined by mass spectrometry. RESULTS Three SNPs, comprising rs10717122 and rs2229717 in serine hydroxymethyltransferase1/2 (SHMT2) and rs585800 in betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT), were associated with the risk of CHB. Patients with DEL allele, DEL.DEL and DEL.T genotypes of rs10717122 had a 1.40-, 2.00- and 1.83-fold increased risk for CHB, respectively. Cases inheriting TA genotype of rs585800 had a 2.19-fold risk for CHB infection. The T allele of rs2229717 was less represented in the CHB cases (odds ratio = 0.66, 95% confidence interval = 0.48-0.92). The T allele of rs2229717 was less in patients with a low hepatitis B virus-DNA level compared to the control group (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.25-0.97) and TT genotype of rs2229717 had a significant correlation with hepatitis B surface antigen level (p = 0.0195). Further gene-gene interaction analysis showed that subjects carrying the rs10717122 DEL.DEL/DEL.T and rs585800 TT/TA genotypes had a 2.74-fold increased risk of CHB. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study suggest that rs10717122, rs585800 and rs2229717 and gene-gene interactions of rs10717122 and rs585800 affect the outcome of CHB infection, at the same time as indicating their usefulness as a predictive and diagnostic biomarker of CHB infection.