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ABSTRACT: Oncomodulins (OCMs), also known as non-α-parvalbumins, are small molecules known for their high-affinity binding of Ca2+ ions. They play crucial roles as Ca2+ buffers and participate in signaling pathways within muscle and neuron cells. In chickens, 3 oncomodulin molecules have been identified at the protein level and are named chicken oncomodulin 1 (OCM1), -3 (OCM3), and alpha-parvalbumin (PVALB). OCM4 was newly assigned by genome annotation. A gene cluster containing OCM1, OCM3, and OCM4 is located in chromosome 14, while a single gene of PVALB is on chromosome 1. The Ca2+ signaling pathway may be a potential contributor to the onset of chicken breast myopathies. However, chicken OCMs have not been extensively studied in muscle tissues. In this study, the genetic specifications, tissue-specific and differential expression of OCM1, OCM3, OCM4, and PVALB in the context of chicken breast myopathies were investigated. OCM1 exhibited moderate expression in the liver, intestine, and kidney. OCM3 was highly expressed in thymus and breast muscle. A long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) transcribed from the antisense strand of the OCM3 gene was found to be expressed in liver, lung, heart, intestine, and kidney tissues. OCM4 was barely expressed in thymus, thigh-, and breast muscle. PVALB exhibited high expression across all tissues examined. Results of quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that the expression of OCM3 was significantly increased (4.4 ± 0.7 fold; P-value = 0.03) in woody breast (WB) muscle and even greater (8.5 ± 0.6 fold; P-value = 0.004) in WB/white striping (WS) muscles. The expression of PVALB showed no difference in WB muscle, but it was notably higher (4.6 ± 0.7 fold; P-value = 0.054) in WB/WS muscle, although statistical significance was not reached. These findings suggest that increased expression of OCM3 and PVALB may be linked to chicken breast myopathies with regard to disruption of Ca2+ buffering.

ABSTRACT: Relationships between texture measurements and meat water properties were investigated in raw intact broiler breast fillets with the wooden breast (WB) condition. Texture measurements included subjective WB scores and blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (BMORS). Water properties were determined with low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). Spearman correlation was used to estimate relationships between WB scores and water properties, while Pearson correlation was used for relationships between BMORS force and water properties. LF-NMR measurements exhibited 3 water components: protein-associated or hydration water T2b, intra-myofibrillar water or immobilized water T21, and extra-myofibrillar water or free water T22 in chicken breast meat. Significant and strong Spearman correlations were found between the WB scores and T21 time constant, the abundance (normalized areas) of T22, and the proportion of T21 and T22 (rs > 0.60, P < 0.001). Strong Pearson correlations (r = 0.72) were noted only between the T21 time constant and BMORS force. These results demonstrate that water may contribute to the specific texture characteristics measured with subjective WB scoring (palpable hardness and rigidity) and BMORS (hardness and share force) in raw broiler breast fillets with the WB condition.

Skin photoaging, resulting from prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation, is a form of exogenous aging that not only impacts the aesthetic aspect of the skin but also exhibits a strong correlation with the onset of skin cancer. Nonetheless, the safety profile of non-natural anti-photoaging medications and the underlying physiological alterations during the process of photoaging remain inadequately elucidated. Consequently, there exists a pressing necessity to devise more secure interventions involving anti-photoaging drugs. Multiple studies have demonstrated the noteworthy significance of marine biomolecules in addressing safety concerns related to anti-photoaging and safeguarding the skin. Notably, bioactive peptides have gained considerable attention in anti-photoaging research due to their capacity to mitigate the physiological alterations associated with photoaging, including oxidative stress; inflammatory response; the abnormal expression of matrix metalloproteinase, hyaluronidase, and elastase; and excessive melanin synthesis. This review provides a systematic description of the research progress on the anti-photoaging and skin protection mechanism of marine bioactive peptides. The focus is on the utilization of marine bioactive peptides as anti-photoaging agents, aiming to offer theoretical references for the development of novel anti-photoaging drugs and methodologies. Additionally, the future prospects of anti-aging drugs are discussed, providing an initial reference for further research in this field.

ABSTRACT: High CO2 in packages significantly extends microbiological shelf life of poultry meat. Cold plasma is an emerging antimicrobial treatment, which generates various reactive gas species and inactivates microbials effectively. The objective of this study was to explore the potential effects of combining high CO2 package and in-package cold plasma (IPCP) treatments on the quality and safety of raw chicken breast meat. Noninoculated samples and samples inoculated with Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella Typhimurium were packaged in 0, 30, 70, or 100% CO2 (with make-up gas N2) and treated with IPCP at 70 kV for 3 min. Ozone formation, microbial counts, drip loss, pH, and color were measured. There was no interaction effect between high CO2 package and IPCP on microbial counts, drip loss, and color measurements. IPCP reduced spoilage microbial growth by 0.43 log (from 7.00 log to 6.57 log, P = 0.033) and C. jejuni populations by 0.67 log (from 4.82 log to 4.15 log, P < 0.001) on meat surface but did not affect S. Typhimurium (P = 0.206). Increased CO2 in packages had more effect on spoilage microbial growth (more than 1.5 log from 8.08 log to 6.35 log, P < 0.001) and S. Typhimurium populations (more than 0.5 log from 4.94 log to 4.39 log, P = 0.004) than IPCP but did not affect C. jejuni (P = 0.163). IPCP resulted in increases in changes in L* by 1.67 units (0.70 vs. 2.37, P = 0.016) and a* values by 0.56 units (0.73 vs. 1.29, P < 0.001) and decreases in b* values by 0.91 units (0.46 versus −0.45, P = 0.015). High CO2 levels caused increases in changes in L* values by 4.35 units (−0.82 versus 3.53, P < 0.001) with no effects on a* and b* values (P > 0.05). Data demonstrate that there are no combined effects by high CO2 package and IPCP on meat quality and safety of raw chicken breast meat under our experimental conditions. Either high CO2 package or IPCP can retain microbial quality and safety, even though they may cause changes in appearance of stored chicken breast meat.

ABSTRACT: White striping (WS) is an emerging myopathy that results in significant economic losses as high as $1 billion (combined with losses derived from other breast myopathies including woody breast and spaghetti meat) to the global poultry industry. White striping is detected as the occurrence of white lines on raw poultry meat. The exact etiologies for WS are still unclear. Proteomic analyses of co-expressed WS and woody breast phenotypes previously demonstrated dysfunctions in carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis, and calcium buffering capabilities in muscle cells. In this study, we conducted shotgun proteomics on chicken breast fillets exhibiting only WS that were collected at approximately 6 h postmortem. After determining WS severity, protein extractions were conducted from severe WS meat with no woody breast (WB) condition (n = 5) and normal non-affected (no WS) control meat (n = 5). Shotgun proteomics was conducted by Orbitrap Lumos, tandem mass tag (TMT) analysis. As results, 148 differentially abundant proteins (|fold change|>1.4; p-value < 0.05) were identified in the WS meats compared with controls. The significant canonical pathways included BAG2 signaling pathway, glycogen degradation II, isoleucine degradation I, aldosterone signaling in epithelial cells, and valine degradation I. The potential upstream regulators include LIPE, UCP1, ATP5IF1, and DMD. The results of this study provide additional insights into the cellular mechanisms on the WS myopathy and meat quality.

ABSTRACT: The wooden breast (WB) condition notably alters moisture content and water holding capacity (WHC) in broiler breast fillets. The purpose of this study was to investigate water properties during refrigerated storage from 4 h to 168 h postmortem using time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR). Water properties measured included mobility (T), proportion (P), and abundance per 100 g of meat (A). Changes in meat quality indicators including compression force, color, pH, cumulative purge loss, and proximate composition were also measured. Compression force and energy of the WB fillets were higher than normal fillets (P < 0.05). Slopes of changes in lightness of the WB and normal fillets were different in skin and bone side (P < 0.05). The slope of the purge loss from the WB fillets was higher than the normal fillets (P < 0.05). Time domain nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed 4 water populations in intact broiler fillets with transverse relaxation time (T2) constants at approximately 4 to 5 milliseconds (ms) (designated as 2b, corresponding to hydration water or bound water), 40 to 60 ms (designated as 21, corresponding to intra-myofibrillar water or immobilized water), 80 to 210 ms (designated as 22a, corresponding to extra-myofibrillar water or free water with lower mobility) and 210 to 500 ms (designated as 22b, corresponding to extra-myofibrillar water or free water with higher mobility) during early postmortem storage (between 4 h and 72 h postmortem) and only 3 populations (2b, 21, and 22a) after 72 h postmortem. There were interaction effects (P < 0.05) between storage time and WB condition for all water properties except T2b, A2b/100 g, and T22b. The linear change of T21, P21, A21/100 g, T22a, A22a/100 g, P22b, and A22b/100 g in stored WB samples were different from the normal fillets (P < 0.05). During storage, P21 and A21/100 g of the WB fillets exhibited faster linear increases than those of the normal fillets, whereas T21 and T22a of the normal fillets and A22a/100 g, P22b, and A22b/100 g of the WB fillets showed faster linear decreases (P < 0.05). Our data demonstrate that the WB condition affects changes in water properties in broiler fillets during postmortem refrigerated storage.

This study evaluated the potential of using combined relaxation (CRelax) spectra within time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) measurements to predict meat quality. Broiler fillets affected by different severities of the wooden breast (WB) conditions were used as case-study samples because of the broader ranges of meat-quality variations. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were established to predict water-holding capacity (WHC) and meat texture, demonstrating superior CRelax capabilities for predicting meat quality. Additionally, a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was developed to predict WB severity based on CRelax spectra. The models exhibited high accuracy in distinguishing normal fillets from those affected by the WB condition and demonstrated competitive performance in classifying WB severity. This research contributes innovative insights into advanced spectroscopic techniques for comprehensive meat-quality evaluation, with implications for enhancing precision in meat applications.

Acquired peripheral hearing loss in midlife is considered the primary modifiable risk factor for dementia, while the underlying pathological mechanism remains poorly understood. Excessive noise exposure is the most common cause of acquired peripheral hearing loss in modern society. This study was designed to investigate the impact of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on cognition, with a focus on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region that is involved in both auditory and cognitive processes and is highly affected in patients with cognitive impairment. Adult C57BL/6 J mice were randomly assigned to a control group and seven noise groups: 0HPN, 12HPN, 1DPN, 3DPN, 7DPN, 14DPN, and 28DPN, which were exposed to broadband noise at a 123 dB sound pressure level (SPL) for 2 h and sacrificed immediately (0 h), 12 h, or 1, 3, 7, 14, or 28 days post-noise exposure (HPN, DPN), respectively. Hearing assessment, behavioral tests, and neuromorphological studies in the mPFC were performed in control and 28DPN mice. All experimental animals were included in the time-course analysis of serum corticosterone (CORT) levels and mPFC microglial morphology. The results illustrated that noise exposure induced early-onset transient serum CORT elevation and permanent moderate-to-severe hearing loss in mice. 28DPN mice, in which permanent NIHL has been verified, exhibited impaired performance in temporal order object recognition tasks concomitant with reduced structural complexity of mPFC pyramidal neurons. The time-course immunohistochemical analysis in the mPFC revealed significantly higher morphological microglial activation at 14 and 28 DPN, preceded by a remarkably higher amount of microglial engulfed postsynaptic marker PSD95 at 7 DPN. Additionally, lipid accumulation in microglia was observed in 7DPN, 14DPN and 28DPN mice, suggesting a driving role of lipid handling deficits following excessive phagocytosis of synaptic elements in delayed and sustained microglial abnormalities. These findings provide fundamentally novel information concerning mPFC-related cognitive impairment in mice with NIHL and empirical evidence suggesting the involvement of microglial malfunction in the mPFC neurodegenerative consequences of NIHL.

Abstract Background Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), an enteric coronavirus, has become the major causative agent of acute gastroenteritis in piglets since 2010 in China. Results In the current study, 91 complete spike (S) gene sequences were obtained from PEDV positive samples collected from 17 provinces in China from March 2020 to March 2021. A phylogenetic analysis showed that 92.3% (84 out of 91) of the identified strains belonged to GII subtype, while 7.7% (7 out of 91) were categorized as S-INDEL like strains and grouped within GI-c clade. Based on a recombination analysis, six of S-INDEL like strains were recombinant strains originated from S-INDEL strain FR/001/2014 and virulent strain AJ1102. In addition, PEDV variant strains (CH/GDMM/202012, CH/GXDX/202010 et al) carrying novel insertions (360QGRKS364 and 1278VDVF1281) in the S protein were observed. Furthermore, the deduced amino acid sequences for the S protein showed that multiple amino acid substitutions in the antigenic epitopes in comparison with the vaccine strains. Conclusions In conclusion, these data provide novel molecular evidence on the epidemiology and molecular diversity of PEDV in 2020–2021. This information may help design a strategy for controlling and preventing the prevalence of PEDV variant strains in China.

Abstract Background To discussed the risk factor and the management of vitrectomy for long-term endophthalmitis developing after intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children. Methods We retrospectively investigated the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of long-term endophthalmitis developing after IOL implantation in children. Results Four eyes of four children were included in the study. The mean time to endophthalmitis development after IOL implantation was 3.0 ± 0.8 years. The corneal or scleral sutures may have been caused the infection. All 4 patients underwent vitrectomy and received intravitreal antibiotics with or without IOL removal. At the last follow-up, the outcomes were satisfactory; the fundus was clear, the retina remained attached, the visual acuity improved, and there were no severe complications. Conclusions The use of scleral sutures and the exposure of conceal sutures may induce the onset of long-term endophthalmitis after IOL implantation. Complete vitrectomy and appropriate use of antibiotics are effective in the treatment of long-term endophthalmitis developing after IOL implantation in children.

Abstract Biomolecule-functionalized fluorescent gold nanocluster (AuNCs) have attracted a lot of attention due to good biocompatibility, stable physicochemical properties and considerable cost advantages. Inappropriate concentration of Cu2+ may cause a variety of diseases. In this study, AuNCs were synthesized in alkaline aqueous solution using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a template. And then, the peptide CCYWDAHRDY was coupled to AuNCs. Furthermore, the fluorescence of synthesized CCYWDAHRDY-AuNCs response to Cu2+ was evaluated. As the results shown that the CCYWDAHRDY-AuNCs can sensitively detect Cu2+. After adding Cu2+ to the probe system, the fluorescence of the CCYWDAHRDY-AuNCs was quenched. The detection conditions were at pH 6 and 30 °C for 10 min, the linear relationship between Cu2+ concentration and fluorescence intensity were good in the range of 0.1 ~ 4.2 μmol/L. The regression equation was y = − 105.9x + 693.68, the linear correlation coefficient is 0.997, and the minimum detection limit was 52 nmol/L.

AimTo investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the onset of choroidal neovascularization (CNV).MethodsIntegrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of retinas in mice with laser-induced CNV were performed using RNA sequencing and tandem mass tag. In addition, the laser-treated mice received systemic interferon-β (IFN-β) therapy. Measurements of CNV lesions were acquired by the confocal analysis of stained choroidal flat mounts. The proportions of T helper 17 (Th17) cells were determined by flow cytometric analysis.ResultsA total of differentially expressed 186 genes (120 up-regulated and 66 down-regulated) and 104 proteins (73 up-regulated and 31 down-regulated) were identified. The gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that CNV was mainly associated with immune and inflammatory responses, such as cellular response to IFN-β and Th17 cell differentiation. Moreover, the key nodes of the protein–protein interaction network mainly involved up-regulated proteins, including alpha A crystallin and fibroblast growth factor 2, and were verified by Western blotting. To confirm the changes in gene expression, real-time quantitative PCR was performed. Furthermore, levels of IFN-β in both the retina and plasma, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were significantly lower in the CNV group than in the control group. IFN-β treatment significantly reduced CNV lesion size and promoted the proliferation of Th17 cells in laser-treated mice.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the occurrence of CNV might be associated with the dysfunction of immune and inflammatory processes and that IFN-β could serve as a potential therapeutic target.

Cold plasma has been considered a novel non-thermal processing technique and attracted a high attention by the food industry. In this study, the influences of dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma (DBD-CP) on the myoglobin (Mb)-added washed pork muscle (WPM) were evaluated. The electrophoresis pattern, autoxidation, and secondary structure of Mb were analyzed. The results found that DBD-CP caused the decrease of the redness and total sulfhydryl (T-SH) in WPM, while the increase of non-heme, peroxide value (PV), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), suggested that treatment triggered protein oxidation and heme degradation. Additionally, DBD-CP treatment enhanced the autoxidation of Mb, induced the release of intact heme from the globin, rearranged the charged groups, and promoted Mb aggregation. The transformation of α-helix into the random coil of Mb demonstrated that DBD-CP weakened the tensile strength. Overall, data indicated that DBD-CP promoted autoxidation and changed the secondary structure of Mb, accelerating Mb-mediated lipid oxidation in WPM. Thus, further studies about the optimization of processing conditions by DBD-CP need to be performed.

Abstract Background To investigate the clinical manifestations, visual outcomes and optical coherence tomographic (OCT) features of patients with posterior sympathetic ophthalmia (PSO). Methods We performed a retrospective review of 48 patients diagnosed with PSO between January 2013 and December 2019. We compared the clinical and OCT features among different clinical types of PSO. Results PSO could be classified into two types according to whether the fundus exhibited serous retinal detachment (SRD) or multifocal choroiditis (MFC). There were 41 patients (85.4%) with SRD and 7 patients (14.6%) with MFC. The latent period of patients with MFC was significantly longer than that of patients with SRD (P = 0.002). The final visual acuity of patients with MFC was significantly worse than that of patients with SRD (P = 0.0001). In patients with acute SRD, OCT revealed that the mean height of retinal detachment in the fovea was 528.8 ± 437.5 μm. After treatment, the retina reattached in all patients and the band structures of the outer retina were restored in most patients (92.7%). In patients with acute MFC, the OCT images revealed inflammatory lesions on the retinal pigment epithelium layer. After treatment, the OCT images showed hyperreflective fibrosis of the lesions and loss of the outer retinal band structures in all patients. Conclusions We found that PSO could be classified according to the presence of SRD or MFC. The visual prognosis differed significantly between these types of PSO. OCT imaging is useful for clinical classification and monitoring of retinal changes after treatment.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of tannic acid (TA) supplementation on growth performance, gut health, antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota, and meat yield and quality in broilers raised for 42 days. A total of 700 one-day-old male broiler chickens (Cobb500) were allocated into 5 treatments with 7 replicates of 20 birds per pen. There were five treatments: 1) tannic acid 0 (TA0: basal diet without TA); 2) tannic acid 0.25 (TA0.25: basal diet+0.25 g/kg TA); 3) tannic acid 0.5 (TA0.5: basal diet+0.5 g/kg TA); 4) tannic acid 1 (TA1: basal diet+1 g/kg TA); and 5) tannic acid 2 (TA2: basal diet+2 g/kg TA). The dietary phases included starter (D 0 to 18; crumble feed), grower (D 18 to 28; pellet feed), and finisher (D 28 to 42; pellet feed). On D 18, the supplementation of TA linearly reduced body weight (BW) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p < 0.05), and on D 28, the supplementation of TA linearly reduced BW, average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p < 0.05). Relative mRNA expression of genes related to mucin production (MUC2), tight junction proteins (CLDN2 and JAM2), and nutrient transporters (B0AT1 and SGLT1) was linearly increased by the supplementation of TA (p < 0.05). The supplementation of TA tended to linearly increase the relative abundance of the family Enterobacteriaceae (p = 0.08) and quadratically increased the relative abundance of the families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae in the cecal microbial communities (p < 0.05). On D 36, the ratio of the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes was quadratically reduced by the supplementation of TA (p < 0.05). On D 42, bone mineral density and the lean to fat ratio were linearly decreased by the supplementation of TA (p < 0.05). On D 43, total chilled carcass weight was linearly reduced (p < 0.05), and proportion of leg weight was increased by supplementation of TA (p < 0.05). The supplementation of TA linearly reduced pH of the breast meat (p < 0.05) and linearly increased redness (a*) (p < 0.05). Although the supplementation of TA positively influenced gut health and gut microbiota in the starter/grower phases, it negatively affected overall growth performance, bone health, and meat production in broilers on D 42.

Tripeptide NCW identified in Mizuhopecten yessoensis has been shown to possess in vivo antihypertensive effect. However, the poor understanding of the absorption of NCW across the membrane limits its application. In this study, we have investigated the interaction of NCW with DPPC membrane via 400 ns all-atom molecular dynamic simulation using GROMACS software. The structural variations of NCW during absorption, the location and distribution of NCW in the membrane, and the effect of NCW on the properties of membranes during simulation were analyzed to understand the dynamic behavior of NCW in DPPC membrane system. The results suggested that the structures of NCW were stable during simulation. Further, NCW could bind on the surface of the DPPC membrane and enter the hydrophobic interior of the DPPC membrane. Residue Try played an important role in the absorption of NCW across the membrane. Hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions stabilized the interaction of NCW with the membrane. All the above studies analyzed the interaction mechanism between NCW and DPPC membranes at the atomic level and laid the foundation for further transmembrane studies of NCW.

The cellular events leading to the development of the woody breast myopathy in broiler breast muscle are unclear. Affected woody breast muscle exhibits muscle fiber degeneration/regeneration, connective tissue accumulation, and adverse morphological changes in mitochondria. Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is an enzyme for the synthesis of dNTP, which is important for mitochondria DNA content (mtDNA). RNR consists of two subunits: RRM1/RRM2. A decrease in RRM2 is associated with a decrease in mtDNA and mitochondria proteins, leading to impaired ATP production. The objective of this study was to investigate potential RNR differences between woody breast (WB) and normal (N) breast muscle by examining RRM2 expression and associated pathways. Gene expression and enzyme activities were examined by qPCR and commercial kits. Results showed that RRM2 expression reduced for WB (p = 0.01) and genes related to mitochondria, including ATP6 (p = 0.03), COX1 (p = 0.001), CYTB (p = 0.07), ND2 (p = 0.001) and ND4L (p = 0.03). Furthermore, NDUFB7 and COX 14, which are related to mitochondria and ATP synthesis, tended to be reduced in WB. Compared to N, GLUT1 reduced for WB (p = 0.05), which is responsible for glucose transport in cells. Consequently, PDK4 (p = 0.0001) and PPARG (p = 0.008) increased in WB, suggesting increased fatty acid oxidation. Citric synthase activity and the NAD/NADH ratio (p = 0.02) both reduced for WB, while WB increased CHRND expression (p = 0.001), which is a possible indicator of high reactive oxygen species levels. In conclusion, a reduction in RRM2 impaired mitochondria function, potentially ATP synthesis in WB, by increasing fibrosis and the down-regulation of several genes related to mitochondria function.

Poultry meat is becoming one of the most important animal protein sources for human beings in terms of health benefits, cost, and production efficiency. Effective genetic selection and nutritional programs have dramatically increased meat yield and broiler production efficiency. However, modern practices in broiler production result in unfavorable meat quality and body composition due to a diverse range of challenging conditions, including bacterial and parasitic infection, heat stress, and the consumption of mycotoxin and oxidized oils. Numerous studies have demonstrated that appropriate nutritional interventions have improved the meat quality and body composition of broiler chickens. Modulating nutritional composition [e.g., energy and crude protein (CP) levels] and amino acids (AA) levels has altered the meat quality and body composition of broiler chickens. The supplementation of bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, exogenous enzymes, plant polyphenol compounds, and organic acids, has improved meat quality and changed the body composition of broiler chickens.

This study investigated postmortem muscle protein degradation and myowater properties in broiler breasts afflicted with the Spaghetti Meat (SM) myopathy during 7 days of storage. Severe SM and unaffected (NORM) breast fillets were analyzed at days 0, 3, and 7 postmortem for TD-NMR myowater traits, myofibrillar protein profiles, calpain activity, free calcium, and desmin and troponin-T degradation patterns. Only at day 0, muscle histology, fiber size and sarcomere length were assessed on multiple fillet portions. In SM breasts, the intramyofibrillar water population exhibited longer relaxation times (p = 0.0172) and a lower proportion (p = 0.0118) compared to NORM. SM had a greater proportion of extramyofibrillar water (p = 0.0080) possessing a longer relaxation time (p = 0.0001). Overall, the SM myopathy had only a minor impact on the myofibrillar proteins profiles and did not affect either free calcium concentration, calpain activity, or the degradation of desmin and TnT, while storage time strongly affected all the traits measured. At microscopic level, muscle tissue from SM fillets exhibited the typical indicators of myodegeneration mostly in the superficial-cranial portion of the breast, while fiber size and sarcomere length were similar between the two muscle conditions irrespectively from the portion considered. The lack of overall significant interaction effects between muscle condition and storage period suggested that SM and NORM breast meat experience similar proteolytic and physical changes during the postmortem period.

The disparity in fatty acids (FA) composition exhibits a significant impact on meat quality, however, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying this trait in chicken are far from clear. In this study, a total of 45 female Beijing-You chicken (BYC) hens, fed on the same diet, were collected at the slaughter age of 150, 300, or 450 days (D150, D300, and D450) from sexual maturation stage to culling stage (15 birds per age). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and tandem mass tag labeling technology based on liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (TMT-LC-MS/MS) analysis strategies were applied to profile FA compositions and to compare differential expressed proteins (DEPs) between these different slaughter ages, respectively. The FA profiling showed that increasing hen ages resulted in increased contents of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Proteomic analyses showed a total of 4,935 proteins in chicken breast muscle with the false discovery rate (FDR) < 1% and 664 of them were differentially expressed (fold change > 1.50 or < 0.67 and P < 0.01). There were 410 up- and 116 down-regulated proteins in D150 vs. D300 group, 32 up- and 20 down-regulated in D150 vs. D450 group, and 72 up- and 241 down-regulated in D300 vs. D450 group. A total of 57 DEPs related to FA/lipid-related metabolisms were obtained according to the enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). These DEPs were involved in 21 significantly enriched (P < 0.05) pathways, including well-known pathways for FA synthesis (metabolism, desaturation, and elongation) and the signaling pathways for lipid metabolism (PPAR, adipocytokine, calcium, VEGF, MAPK, and Wnt). In addition, there existed several representative DEPs (FABP, FABP3, apoA-I, apoA-IV, apoC-III, apoB, VTG1, and VTG2) involved in the regulation of FA/lipid transportation. The construction of the interaction networks indicated that HADH, ACAA2, HADHA, ACSL1, CD36, CPT1A, PPP3R1, and SPHK1 were the key core nodes. Finally, eight DEPs were quantified using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) to validate the results from TMT analysis. These results expanded our understanding of how the laying age affects the FA compositions and metabolism in hen breast meat.

To overcome the low recognition accuracy, slow speed, and difficulty in locating the picking points of tea buds, this paper is concerned with the development of a deep learning method, based on the You Only Look Once Version 4 (YOLOv4) object detection algorithm, for the detection of tea buds and their picking points with tea-picking machines. The segmentation method, based on color and depth data from a stereo vision camera, is proposed to detect the shapes of tea buds in 2D and 3D spaces more accurately than using 2D images. The YOLOv4 deep learning model for object detection was modified to obtain a lightweight model with a shorter inference time, called YOLOv4-lighted. Then, Squeeze-and-Excitation Networks (SENet), Efficient Channel Attention (ECA), Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM), and improved CBAM (ICBAM) were added to the output layer of the feature extraction network, for improving the detection accuracy of tea features. Finally, the Path Aggregation Network (PANet) in the neck network was simplified to the Feature Pyramid Network (FPN). The light-weighted YOLOv4 with ICBAM, called YOLOv4-lighted + ICBAM, was determined as the optimal recognition model for the detection of tea buds in terms of accuracy (94.19%), recall (93.50%), F1 score (0.94), and average precision (97.29%). Compared with the baseline YOLOv4 model, the size of the YOLOv4-lighted + ICBAM model decreased by 75.18%, and the frame rate increased by 7.21%. In addition, the method for predicting the picking point of each detected tea bud was developed by segmentation of the tea buds in each detected bounding box, with filtering of each segment based on its depth from the camera. The test results showed that the average positioning success rate and the average positioning time were 87.10% and 0.12 s, respectively. In conclusion, the recognition and positioning method proposed in this paper provides a theoretical basis and method for the automatic picking of tea buds.

The physiological and biochemical processes of Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) are complex. Monitoring the metabolic evolution of products during the growth of A. flavus is critical to the overall understanding of the fungal and aflatoxin production detection mechanism. The dynamic growth process of A. flavus and the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) accumulation in culture media was investigated with a visible/near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (Vis/NIR HSI) system in the range of 400 to 1000 nm. First, the growth of A. flavus and the synthesis pattern of AFB1 were monitored on maize agar medium (MAM) culture for 120 h with a 24-h time-lapse imaging interval. Second, to classify the A. flavus growth, a principal component analysis (PCA) was employed, and a support vector machine (SVM) model was established with the PC1–PC3 as inputs. The results suggested that the PCA-SVM method could distinguish the A. flavus growth time with a classification accuracy larger than 0.97, 0.91, and 0.92 for calibration, validation, and cross-validation, respectively. Third, regression models to predict the AFB1 accumulation using hyperspectral images were developed by comparing different pre-processing methods and key wavelengths. The successive projection algorithm (SPA) was adopted to distill the key wavelengths. The experimental results indicated that the standard normal variate transformation (SNV) with the partial least squares regression (PLSR) achieved the optimal regression performance with an RC value of 0.98–0.99 for calibration and RV values of 0.95–0.96 for validation. Finally, a spatial map of the AFB1 concentration was created using the PLSR model. The spatial regularity of the AFB1 concentration was comparable to the measurement performed. The study proved the potential of the Vis/NIR HSI to characterize the A. flavus growth and the concentration of AFB1 on the MAM over time.

Background: The overconsumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) has been repeatedly blamed as being a possible contributor to the global prevalence of emotional problems in modern society. Our group recently demonstrated the deleterious effect of a chronic HFD throughout adulthood on both emotional behavior and neuroplasticity markers in mice. As a heightened preference for palatable HFDs from the time of the juvenile period (when the brain is particularly vulnerable to environmental insults) is universal among populations around the world, a comparison of the consequences of chronic HFDs starting from juveniles or adults will assist in obtaining better knowledge of the impact that chronic HFDs have on mental health, thus potentially leading to the discovery of more effective strategies for reducing the incidence of psychiatric disorders. Methods: In the present study, male C57BL/6J mice with an initial age of 4 weeks (IA-4 W) or 8 weeks (IA-8 W) were separately assigned to two subgroups and fed either a control diet (CD, 10 kJ% from fat) or HFD (60 kJ% from fat) for 9 months followed by an analysis focused on metabolic, emotional behavioral, and neuroplastic profiles. Results: The results illustrated that, in addition to abnormal glucolipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, mice on a chronic HFD exhibited increased levels of anxiety and depression-like behaviors and aberrant hippocampal neuroplasticity. When compared with IA-8 W mice, several changes indicating systemic metabolic disturbance and neurobehavioral disorder after chronic HFD consumption were aggravated in IA-4 W mice, accompanied by exaggerated impairments in hippocampal insulin sensitivity and neurogenesis. Conclusions: These results not only provide in vivo evidence that the juvenile stage is a critical period of vulnerability to detrimental effects of HFD consumption on metabolic and neuronal function but also suggest dampened hippocampal insulin signaling as a potential link between prolonged HFD consumption and negative neurobehavioral outcomes. Considering the substantial burden posed by psychiatric disorders and the high prevalence of HFD among youth, these observations are meaningful for raising awareness of the harmful effects of excessive dietary fat intake and developing strategy for preventing mental disorders.

Abstract Background To evaluate the effect and prognostic factors of vitrectomy combined with intravitreal antifungal therapy for posttraumatic fungal endophthalmitis in Eastern China. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who developed fungal endophthalmitis after penetrating ocular trauma at an ophthalmic center in Eastern China. All patients underwent vitrectomy and intravitreal injection of antifungal drugs. Results Thirty-five patients (35 eyes) were included. Twelve eyes suffered plant trauma, 17 eyes metal trauma, and 6 eyes other trauma. The culture results for all 35 eyes showed filamentous fungi, including Aspergillus in 26 eyes (74.3%). Twenty-three eyes underwent vitrectomy once and 12 eyes were treated twice. Four eyes were iridectomized because of a fungal lesion behind the iris. Fungal endophthalmitis was effectively controlled in 33 eyes (94.3%), whereas 2 eyes were ultimately enucleated. Visual acuity was significantly better after treatment than before treatment (P = 0.0006). According to the preoperative vision, the affected eyes were divided into two groups: group 1A (light perception) and group 1B (better than light perception). The final visual acuity in group 1B was significantly better than that in group 1A (P = 0.0289). Conclusions Vitrectomy combined with intravitreal antifungal therapy is an effective treatment for posttraumatic fungal endophthalmitis. Preoperative visual acuity is a significant factor affecting the prognosis of visual acuity.

Woody breast (WB) is a myopathy observed in broiler Pectoralis major (PM) characterized by its tough and rubbery texture with greater level of calcium content. The objective of this study was to investigate the functionality/integrity of WB sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), which may contribute to the elevated calcium content observed in WB and other factors that may influence WB texture. Fourteen Ross line broiler PM [7 severe WB and 7 normal (N)] were selected, packaged, and frozen at −20°C at 8 h postmortem from a commercial processing plant. Samples were used to measure pH, sarcomere length, proteolysis, calpain activity, collagenase activity, collagen content, collagen crosslinks density, and connective tissue peak transitional temperature. Exudate was also collected from each sample to evaluate free calcium concentration. The SR fraction of the samples was separated and utilized for proteomic and lipidomic analysis. The WB PM had a higher pH, shorter sarcomeres, lower % of intact troponin-T, more autolyzed μ/m calpain, more activated collagenase, greater collagen content, greater mature collagen crosslinks density, and higher connective tissue peak transitional temperature than the N PM (p ≤ 0.05). Exudate from WB PM had higher levels of free calcium than those from N PM (p < 0.05). Proteomics data revealed an upregulation of calcium transport proteins and a downregulation of proteins responsible for calcium release (p < 0.05) in WB SR. Interestingly, there was an upregulation of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), and cholinesterase exhibited a 7.6-fold increase in WB SR (p < 0.01). Lipidomics data revealed WB SR had less relative % of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and more lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC; p < 0.05). The results indicated that upregulation of calcium transport proteins and downregulation of calcium-release proteins in WB SR may be the muscle’s attempt to regulate this proposed excessive signaling of calcium release due to multiple factors, such as upregulation of PLA2 resulting in PC hydrolysis and presence of cholinesterase inhibitors in the system prolonging action potential. In addition, the textural abnormality of WB may be the combined effects of shorter sarcomere length and more collagen with greater crosslink density being deposited in the broiler PM.

The study aimed to understand whether deboning time contributes to the altered texture attributes of wooden breast (WB) fillets. To this purpose, 30 unaffected (NORM) and 30 severely affected (WB) carcasses were selected at 15 min postmortem (PM) and allotted into treatments with different deboning times: A (5 NORM + 5 WB; right fillets deboned at 15 min PM), B (5 NORM + 5 WB; right fillets deboned at 3 h PM), and C (5 NORM + 5 WB; right fillets deboned at 6 h PM). Left fillets from each carcass were deboned at 24 h PM. Multiple instrumental texture analyses were performed on the cranial-middle portion of the Pectoralis major muscles. Irrespective of deboning time, all fillets were subjected to a single 30% compression in the raw state at 24 h PM. All fillets were cooked at 24 h PM and subjected to shear force assessments at 48 h PM using blunt Meullenet-Owens razor shear, Meullenet-Owens razor shear, and Warner-Bratzler shear force. Using an ANOVA mixed model, deboning time was evaluated as a fixed effect within muscle condition (sampling session and carcass ID as random effects). Compression force assessment of raw meat at 24 h PM showed that WB fillets exhibited the greatest hardness when they were deboned at 6 h PM (15 min = 35.4 N; 3 h = 30.9 N; 6 h = 48.0 N; 24 h = 30.6 N; P < 0.05). Differently, deboning time had no effect (P > 0.05) on raw compression force values in NORM fillets. In cooked NORM fillets, shear force values were the greatest in fillets deboned at 15 min, and shear force gradually declined with deboning time through 24 h PM. On the contrary, no changes (P > 0.05) in shear values due to different deboning times were observed in cooked WB meat regardless of shear method. These results suggest that early PM changes in breast muscles and their influence on meat texture are different between normal and WB fillets.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of intravitreal conbercept (IVC) as adjunctive treatments before panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) to decrease hyperreflective dots (HRDs) in Chinese proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients. METHODS: Fifty-nine enrolled patients were categorized into 2 groups: single dose IVC (0.5 mg/0.05 mL) 1wk before PRP (Plus group) or PRP only (PRP group). Six months later, we measured the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macula thickness (CMT) by optical coherence tomography and counted the number of HRDs in different retina layers. RESULTS: The average CMT significantly decreased in Plus group but increased in PRP group. The average BCVA in the Plus group was also significantly better than that in the PRP group. Total HRDs decreased in the Plus group but increased in PRP group significantly. IVC pre-treatment has beneficial effects on reducing HRDs forming in the inner retina layer while the PRP alone increased the HRDs in the outer retina layer. CONCLUSION: IVC is a promising adjunctive treatment to PRP in the treatment of PDR. Single dose IVC one week before PRP is suggested to improve retina blood-retina barrier, decrease lipid exudate and inhibit HRDs development in PDR.

The effects of spaghetti meat (SM) myopathy and sampling location on chicken breast meat physical traits, composition, and protein functionality were investigated using 30 normal (N) and 30 SM boneless fillets. Weight, drip loss, pH, and color traits were determined on intact fillets. Proximate composition, water holding capacity, mineral profile, SDS-PAGE, myofibrillar, and sarcoplasmic protein solubility, and emulsifying properties were assessed on both the superficial (S) and deep (D) layers of the breasts. SM fillets were heavier (P

Abstract Background To evaluate the optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of retinal lesions in Chinese patients with endogenous Candida endophthalmitis (ECE). Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with ECE at one medical center. The medical records of the patients including predisposing risk factors, treatment and visual acuity were reviewed. And we focused on the analysis of OCT images of retinal lesions before and after treatment. Results A total of 16 Chinese patients (22 eyes) were included in this study. The most frequent predisposing risk factors were intravenous use of corticosteroids or antibiotics, lithotripsy for urinary calculi, and diabetes. After treatment, visual acuity was improved in 13 (59.1%) of the 22 eyes, and remained the same in the other 9 (40.9%) eyes. Pre-treatment OCT images obtained at presentation were available for 17 of the 22 eyes. Four types of the OCT manifestations of retinal lesions were identified: type 1 (subretinal macular lesions), type 2 (lesions are located in the inner retinal layer), type 3 (lesions involve the full-thickness retina and accompanied with macular edema), type 4 (sub-inner limiting membrane lesions). Pre-treatment OCT imaging of the 17 eyes revealed five as type 1, four as type 2, six as type 3, and two as type 4. After treatment, OCT images revealed epiretinal membrane and subretinal fibrosis as the most common post-treatment complications of ECE. Epiretinal membrane was detected in 2/4 type 2 lesions, in 4/6 type 3 lesions, and in 1/2 type 4 lesions, while subretinal fibrosis was mainly seen in type 1 lesions (4/5). Among the types, visual prognosis was best in eyes with type 2 lesions. Conclusions In this case series, the OCT manifestations of retinal lesions in ECE could be classified into four types. The post-treatment OCT manifestations were different in four types of lesions. We preliminarily found that the OCT morphology of retinal lesions was associated with the visual prognosis of ECE.

Abstract Backgroud Previous studies of internal graft-host malappositions have not dealt with the precise ways in which each malapposition affected post-penetrating keratoplasty (post-PK) visual outcomes. In this study, we reviewed our post-PK and post-deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (post-DALK) keratoconic patients and used anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) to evaluate the associations between graft-host interface (GHI) characteristics and visual outcomes. Methods Novel GHI metrics included: mean graft-host touch (GHT), total prevalence of malapposition proportion (Pm), frequency of apposition (F), size of malapposition (Sm), junctional graft thickness (Tg), junctional host thickness (Th) and the absolute value of difference between Tg and Th (|Tg-Th|). We connected the external and internal junction points of GHI (GHT) and drew a straight line through the central point, perpendicular to both sides of the cornea. Tg and Th were the thicknesses at cross-points 1 mm away from the meeting point on the external side of the graft and host, respectively. Linear regression analysis was used to describe associations between GHI metrics and postsurgical visual outcomes [logarithm of minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR BCVA), spherical equivalent diopter (SE), diopter of spherical power (DS), diopter of cylindrical power (DC) and keratometric astigmatism (Astig value)]. Results We enrolled 22 post-PK and 23 post-DALK keratoconic patients. Compared with the regular-apposition results, GHT was decreased in step and gape patterns, and increased in hill and tag patterns. SE increased averagely by 6.851, 5.428 and 5.164 diopter per 1% increase in: F (step) [β = 6.851; 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 2.975–10.727; P = 0.001]; F (graft step) [β = 5.428; 95% CI = 1.685–9.171; P = 0.005]; and Pm [β = 5.164; 95%CI = 0.913–9.146; P = 0.018], respectively. SE increased averagely by 0.31 diopter per 10-μm increment in |Tg-Th| [β = 0.031; 95% CI = 0.009–0.054; P = 0.007]. LogMAR BCVA increased (on average) by 0.01 per 10-μm increment in both GHT [β = 0.001; 95% CI = 0–0.002; P = 0.030]. and Tg [β = 0.001; 95% CI = 0.001–0.002; P = 0.001]. Astig value increased on average by 0.17 diopter per 10-μm increment in Sm [β = 0.017; 95% CI = 0–0.033; P = 0.047]. Conclusion This investigation of GHI characteristics suggests explanations for varied ametropia in keratoconic eyes and has potential significance as a reference for promoting pre-surgical planning and technology for corneal transplantation.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most prevalent forms of acquired hearing loss, and it is associated with aberrant microglial status and reduced hippocampal neurogenesis; however, the nature of these associations is far from being elucidated. Beyond its direct effects on the auditory system, exposure to intense noise has previously been shown to acutely activate the stress response, which has increasingly been linked to both microglial activity and adult hippocampal neurogenesis in recent years. Given the pervasiveness of noise pollution in modern society and the important implications of either microglial activity or hippocampal neurogenesis for cognitive and emotional function, this study was designed to investigate how microglial status and hippocampal neurogenesis change over time following acoustic exposure and to analyze the possible roles of the noise exposure-induced stress response and hearing loss in these changes. To accomplish this, adult male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to either a control or noise exposure (NE) group. Auditory function was assessed by measuring ABR thresholds at 20 days post noise exposure. The time-course profile of serum corticosterone levels, microglial status, and hippocampal neurogenesis during the 28 days following noise exposure were quantified by ELISA or immunofluorescence staining. Our results illustrated a permanent moderate-to-severe degree of hearing loss, an early but transient increase in serum corticosterone levels, and time-dependent dynamic alterations in microglial activation status and hippocampal neurogenesis, which both present an early but transient change and a late but enduring change. These findings provide evidence that both the stress response and hearing loss contribute to the dynamic alterations of microglia and hippocampal neurogenesis following noise exposure; moreover, noise-induced permanent hearing loss rather than noise-induced transient stress is more likely to be responsible for perpetuating the neurodegenerative process associated with many neurological diseases.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Treatment (aPDT) is a non-thermal sterilization technology, which can inactivate common foodborne pathogens. In the present study, photodynamic inactivation on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) with different concentrations of curcumin and light dose was evaluated and the mechanisms were also investigated. The results showed that curcumin-based aPDT could inactivate S. aureus cells by 6.9 log CFU/mL in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Moreover, the modified Gompertz model presented a good fit at the inactivation data of S. aureus. Photodynamic treatment caused cell membrane damage as revealed by analyzing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Leakage of intracellular constituents further indicated that cell membrane permeability was changed. Flow cytometry with double staining demonstrated that cell membrane integrity and the activity of nonspecific esterase were destroyed. Compared with the control group, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels caused by photodynamic treatment significantly increased. Furthermore, curcumin-based aPDT reduced S. aureus by 5 log CFU/mL in juices. The color of the juices was also tested using a Chromatic meter, and it was found that b* values were the most markedly influenced by photodynamic treatment. Overall, curcumin-based aPDT had strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus. This approach has the potential to remove foodborne pathogens from liquid food.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate a novel multi-blade Shear (MBS) method for measuring texture properties of both raw and cooked broiler fillets (pectoralis major) with the woody breast (WB) myopathy. A total of 180 broiler breast fillets (60 normal [NOR], 60 moderate WB [MOD], and 60 severe WB [SEV]) in two meat states (fresh never-frozen, n = 144; frozen/thawed, n = 36) were chosen based on their WB scores. In each trial, half of the fillets were used for measuring raw meat texture and the other half for cooked meat texture measurement. Blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Sear (BMORS) was used for comparison. In fresh raw broiler fillets, both the MBS and BMORS methods detected differences between NOR, MOD, and SEV fillets (P < 0.001). In cooked broiler fillets, the methods were equivalent in their ability to separate SEV from NOR fillets. The MBS measurements showed greater Spearman correlation coefficients with the WB scores (rs ≥ 0.70 in raw and ≥ 0.33 in cooked) compared to the BMORS measurements (rs = 0.63 in raw and ≤ 0.27 in cooked) for both fresh and cooked breast fillets. In addition, the MBS measurements were either as precise as or more precise than BMORS measurements regardless of meat condition (fresh vs. cooked) and the shear parameter. These results suggest that the MBS method is more reliable in measuring tactile characteristics of broiler breast fillets with the WB myopathy compared with the BMORS method.

AIM: To investigate the clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of focal choroidal excavation (FCE) complicated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in young and middle aged patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 26 patients with FCE accompanied by CNV. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients, focusing on the spectral-domain OCT features. All patients received intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents. And we assessed the changes of central retinal thickness and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after anti-VEGF therapy. RESULTS: The mean age of 26 patients was 35.5±7.3y (range, 21-48y). Of the 26 FCE lesions, 11 were located subfoveal, 6 were parafoveal, and 9 were extrafoveal. The mean FCE depth was 129.8±50.3 μm, and the mean width was 901.3±306.0 μm. The FCE depth was correlated positively with the width, but not correlated with age or refractive error. CNV was located within the excavation (19 eyes) or adjacent to the excavation (7 eyes). After anti-VEGF therapy, the central retinal thickness was significantly reduced and the BCVA was significantly improved. In the absorption process of subretinal fluid, we found that the fluid in the excavations needed to be absorbed at the last. A small amount of residual fluid could still be seen in a few deep excavations even after a long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: FCE may be an important reason to cause CNV. Especially in young patients with idiopathic CNV, we should pay attention to the use of OCT to check the presence of FCE. Anti-VEGF therapy is generally effective for CNV associated with FCE.

Abstract Background To determine the levels of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the vitreous of patients with high myopia, in comparison with those with a vitreomacular interface disease (VMID). Methods Patients with either high myopia (high myopia group) or a VMID (VMID group) were included in this study. Each of the two groups were further subdivided into two subgroups: group A (high myopia with macular hole), group B (high myopia with macular retinoschisis), group C (idiopathic macular hole), and group D (idiopathic epiretinal membrane). Vitreal specimens were collected during vitrectomy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantitatively measure the CTGF and HGF levels in the vitreous. Results The average axial length was markedly longer in the high myopia group than in the VMID group. The vitreal CTGF level was significantly higher in the high myopia group than in the VMID group. Subgroup analysis revealed significantly higher vitreal CTGF in group A than in the other three subgroups. The vitreal HGF level was not significantly different between the high myopia and VMID groups, but was significantly higher in group D than in group C in the subgroup analysis. Correlation analysis showed that the vitreal CTGF level was positively correlated with the axial length. Conclusions The vitreal CTGF level is elevated in highly myopic eyes and may be related to the pathogenesis of high myopia, whereas increased expression of HGF may be involved in the development of idiopathic epiretinal membrane.

To study the dynamic changes of nutrient consumption and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) accumulation in peanut kernels with fungal colonization, macro hyperspectral imaging technology combined with microscopic imaging was investigated. First, regression models to predict AFB1 contents from hyperspectral data ranging from 1000 to 2500 nm were developed and the results were compared before and after data normalization with Box-Cox transformation. The results indicated that the second-order derivative with a support vector regression (SVR) model using competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) achieved the best performance, with RC2 = 0.95 and RV2 = 0.93. Second, time-lapse microscopic images and spectroscopic data were captured and analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and synchrotron radiation-Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) microspectroscopy. The time-lapse data revealed the temporal patterns of nutrient loss and aflatoxin accumulation in peanut kernels. The combination of macro and micro imaging technologies proved to be an effective way to detect the interaction mechanism of toxigenic fungus infecting peanuts and to predict the accumulation of AFB1 quantitatively.

Woody breast (WB) myopathy is a quality defect, afflicting a large portion of commercial broilers to some degree. The WB myopathy is commonly attributed to rapid bird growth and characterized by excessive fibrosis within the pectoralis major, which is thought to cause the palpably hardened texture observed in the afflicted breast meat. These phenotypically tough breast fillets are not marketed for traditional intact muscle products owing to poor quality and eating experience. Potential avenues for these afflicted breast fillets include their use in formulation of fresh and cooked sausages. Two degrees of WB fillets (moderate and severe) were used as a replacement for normal (unafflicted) breast fillet meat at levels of 25, 50, and 100%, in a sausage formulation with 1.5% salt and 15% chicken fat. All 6 treatments were compared with a control formulation (100% normal breast meat) and analyzed for texture profile, cook loss, color, and proximate composition. Moisture and fat content for all formulations were similar (P = 0.95 and P = 0.33, respectively), but with increase in the inclusion rate of WB meat, lower protein content (P < 0.01) was observed. Raw sausage color indicated a lighter (P < 0.05) color for the control sausage (100% normal) than with both 100% moderate and 100% severe formulations. Similarly, sausages containing 100% severe WB meat were the darkest (L∗; P < 0.05), but they were similar to sausages containing 100% moderate (P > 0.05) WB meat. Texture profile analysis indicated a decrease in hardness, cohesiveness, and springiness with use of 100% severe WB meat, while inclusion of lower proportions of severe WB meat resulted in similar textural characteristics. These results indicate the possibility of using WB fillet meat in a sausage formulation with minimal impact on sausage texture profiles.

Egg white protein (EWP) is susceptible to denaturation and coagulation when exposed to high temperatures, adversely affecting its flavour, thereby influencing consumers’ decisions. Here, we employ high-voltage cold plasma (HVCP) as a novel nonthermal technique to investigate its influence on the EWP’s flavour attributes using E-nose, E-tongue, and headspace gas-chromatography-ion-mobilisation spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) due to their rapidness and high sensitivity in identifying flavour fingerprints in foods. The EWP was investigated at 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 s of HVCP treatment time. The results revealed that HVCP significantly influences the odour and taste attributes of the EWP across all treatments, with a more significant influence at 60 and 120 s of HVCP treatment. Principal component analyses of the E-nose and E-tongue clearly distinguish the odour and taste sensors’ responses. The HS-GC-IMS analysis identified 65 volatile compounds across the treatments. The volatile compounds’ concentrations increased as the HVCP treatment time was increased from 0 to 300 s. The significant compounds contributing to EWP characterisation include heptanal, ethylbenzene, ethanol, acetic acid, nonanal, heptacosane, 5-octadecanal, decanal, p-xylene, and octanal. Thus, this study shows that HVCP could be utilised to modify and improve the EWP flavour attributes.

In recent years, the wooden breast condition has emerged as a major meat quality defect in the poultry industry worldwide. Broiler pectoralis major muscle with the wooden breast condition is characterized by hardness upon human palpation, which can lead to decrease in meat value or even reduced consumer acceptance. The current method of wooden breast detection involves a visual and/or tactile evaluation. In this paper, we present a sideview imaging system for online detection of chicken breast fillets affected by the wooden breast condition. The system can measure a physical deformation (bending) of an individual chicken-breast fillet through high-speed imaging at about 200 frames per second and custom image processing techniques. The developed image processing algorithm shows the over 95% classification performance in detecting wooden breast fillets.

Objective The pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains elusive. Here, we assessed the correlation between CD8 + T cell frequencies and autophagy in COPD patients. Methods Subjects were divided into three groups (n = 30 patients/group): (1) COPD patients in the stable phase; (2) smokers with normal lung function; and (3) non-smokers with normal lung function. Flow cytometry was used to enumerate CD8+ T cell subsets (CD8 + , CD8 + effector, and CD8 + memory T cells) and quantitate T-cell apoptosis. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to measure levels of LC3 and p62. Results Frequencies of CD8 + T cell subsets and expression of p62 and LC3 II/I were significantly higher in COPD patients compared with the other two groups, while the rate of apoptosis was lower. In COPD patients, LC3 II/I and p62 expression were positively correlated with CD8 + T cell subset frequencies. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between LC3 II/I and p62 expression and T cell subset frequencies. Conclusion Autophagy level is positively correlated with the frequencies of CD8 + T cells, suggesting that autophagy might be involved in COPD pathogenesis.

The aim of this review was to summarize the histological, physical, chemical and microbial aspects and ways to stop the fluctuation in meat quality in addition to enhance its sensory quality using electrical stimulation. The low-voltage electrical stimulation and high-voltage electrical stimulation were employed. Electrical stimulation improves quality of poultry meat by reducing shear, increasing Sarcomere length, and reducing the diameter of muscle fibers. Low-voltage electrical stimulation affects voltages (120 volts directly in the nervous system, while high voltages were more than enough) to remove the polarization of the cover and produce a dense physio-chemical response in the muscles that had a direct effect. Electrical stimulation and injection with salts of sodium chloride and calcium chloride in the carcasses of female goats improved the tenderness of the meat. It was found that electrical stimulation accelerated the development of rigor mortis. Although electrical stimulation reduces breast meat shear, there was limited information about the effects of electrical stimulation on the other quality attributes of poultry meat and the results vary with quality attribute and differ from experimental conditions High voltage (higher than 120 volts) electrical stimulation improved meat quality and decreased the pH. Low voltages (below 120 volts) are used to ensure the safety of workers and give the desired results when used in commercial applications.

The elevated ultimate pH (pHu) found in wooden breast (WB) meat suggests an altered muscular energetic status in WB but also could be related to a prematurely terminated post-mortem pH decline. The aims of this study were to explore the factors contributing to the elevated pHu and establish whether the occurrence of WB defect alters muscle post-mortem carbohydrate metabolism and determine if the contractile apparatus reflects such changes. A total of 24 carcasses from Ross 308 male chickens were obtained from a commercial producer and harvested using commercial processing procedures. Carcasses were categorized into unaffected (NORM) and WB groups (n = 12 each), and samples were collected from cranial bone-in pectoralis major (PM) muscles at 15 min and 24 h post-mortem for the determination of pH, glycolytic metabolites, adenonucleotides, buffering capacity, phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity, and in vitro pH decline. Twenty-four additional deboned PM samples (12 NORM and 12 WB) were collected from the same processing plant to assess muscle histology and sarcomere length at four different locations throughout the PM muscle. Data show that the reduced glycolytic potential of WB muscles only partially explains the higher (P < 0.001) pHu of WB meat, as residual glycogen along with unaltered PFK activity suggests that neither glycogen nor a deficiency of PFK is responsible for arresting glycolysis prematurely. The dramatic reduction in ATP concentrations in the early post-mortem period suggests a defective ATP-generating pathway that might be responsible for the reduced pH decline in WB samples. Further, the addition of excess of ATPase extended post-mortem glycolysis of WB meat in an in vitro glycolytic system. WB-affected samples have longer (P < 0.001) sarcomeres compared to NORM, indicating the existence of compromised energy-generating pathways in myopathic muscles that may have had consequences on the muscle contraction and tension development, as in vivo, also during the post-mortem period. Considering the overall reduced glycolytic potential and the myodegenerative processes associated with WB condition, we speculate that the higher pHu of WB meat might be the outcome of a drastically impaired energy-generating pathway combined with a deficiency and/or a dysfunction of muscle ATPases, having consequences also on muscle fiber contraction degree.

In the work, mucor miehei lipase (MML) was covalently immobilized on the 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (TCT)-modified magnetite nanoparticles. Then, the immobilized MML was utilized in the synthesis of functionalized 4H-Chromenes via a multicomponent reaction firstly. Under the optimized reaction conditions, immobilized MML displayed high catalytic performance (Yield: 81–96%) and excellent reusability, indicating a high potential for practical operation.

To provide safer food, many technologies have been used to preserve food. One such technology is cold plasma, which can reduce viable bacterial counts in various food matrices. However, bacterial communities in food matrices before and after cold plasma treatment have not been investigated. In this communication, the EcoPlates™ were used to physiologically profile bacterial communities from poultry ground meat treated with rosemary, cold plasma or both. The cultures in the plates were incubated at 25 °C for seven days in an OmniLog® system. Responses of the bacterial communities to 31 chemicals were measured on formazan production. The results show that the three parameters of the Gompertz growth curves were observed in all samples, 2-hydroxybenzoic acid could not be used, while pyruvic acid methyl ester was used for a carbon source by the bacterial communities from all meat samples, each bacterial community metabolized different numbers of chemical compounds at different rates, and reduction of bacterial functional diversity was observed in the poultry meat samples treated with cold plasma and rosemary. In the future, investigations on whether the physiological profiling in bacterial communities be used as an indicator for effectiveness of cold plasma treatment of meat samples.

A nano-biocatalyst has been successfully prepared via coordination between zinc ion and the nitrogen atoms of the amide groups in the Candida sp. 99-125 lipase. The as-prepared nanoparticle has an excellent hierarchical structure with a large number of separate petals. In regioselective acylation of arbutin, the nano-biocatalyst showed enhanced enzyme activities to about 4.3-folds than the free enzyme. Meanwhile, the prepared nano-biocatalyst exhibited good operational reusability and only about 6% of enzyme activity has lost during 10 continuous reaction-recycles.

Background/Aims: Lipocalin 2 (LCN2), an important mediator of a variety of cellular processes, is involved in regulating the inflammatory response, but its roles in different inflammatory diseases are controversial. Because the role of LCN2 in ocular inflammation has been unclear until now, we explored the function of LCN2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ocular inflammation in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by the intravitreal injection of LPS. The expression and location of LCN2 in the retina were detected with western blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. We determined the clinical scores for anterior inflammation, quantified the infiltrated inflammatory cells, and measured the pro-inflammatory factors to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of LCN2 in EIU eyes. Cultured primary rat Müller cells were stimulated with LPS and the expression and secretion of LCN2 were measured with real-time PCR, western blotting, and an ELISA. After Müller cells were cotreated with LPS and LCN2 or PBS, the expression and secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 were examined with realtime PCR, western blotting, and ELISAs. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect the phosphorylation and cellular distribution of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) subunit p65. Results: In EIU, the expression of LCN2 was significantly upregulated in the retina, especially in the outer nuclear layer (mainly composed of Müller cells). LPS stimulation of cultured Müller cells also markedly elevated LCN2 expression. Intravitreal injection of LCN2 significantly reduced the clinical scores, inflammatory infiltration, and protein leakage in EIU, which correlated with the reduced levels of proinflammatory factors in the aqueous humor and retina. LCN2 treatment also reduced the expression and secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 in LPS-stimulated Müller cells. LCN2 inhibited the inflammatory response by inhibiting the phosphorylation and translocation of NF-κB p65. Conclusions: LCN2 protects against ocular inflammation, at least in part, by negatively regulating the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. LCN2 may be a promising anti-inflammatory therapy for ocular diseases, such as uveitis.

This study aimed to investigate effects of plasma-activated solution (PAS) on the cell biology of Staphylococcus aureus and qualities of fresh lettuce leaves. PAS was prepared by dielectric barrier discharge plasma and incubated with S. aureus for 10–30 min or with lettuces for 10 min. Effects on cell biology were evaluated with microscopic images, cell integrity, and chemical modification of cellular components. Effects on lettuce quality were estimated with the viable microbial counts, color, contents of vitamin C and chlorophyll, and surface integrity. PAS reduced S. aureus population by 4.95-log and resulted in increased cell membrane leakage. It also resulted in increased contents of reactive oxygen species in cells, C=O bonds in peptidoglycan, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine content in cellular DNA, and reduced ratios of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids in the cell membrane. PAS treatment reduced bacterial load on fresh lettuce and had no negative effects on the quality. Data suggest that PAS can be used for the disinfection of ready-to-eat fresh vegetables.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of in-package dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric cold plasma (CP) on meat color, microbiological quality and safety of chicken breast meat (pectoralis major). Raw broiler breast meat was collected from a local commercial plant. Noninoculated meat samples and meat samples inoculated with Campylobacter and Salmonella were packed in polymeric trays with air. The packaged samples were CP-treated at 70 kV for different times (0, 60, 180, or 300 sec) and stored at 4°C for 5 days. Microbial counts (psychrophiles, Campylobacter, Salmonella) and meat color (International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L∗a∗b∗) were measured before CP treatments and after 5 days of posttreatment storage. Psychrophile growth was inhibited (P0.05) in a∗ and b∗ values between pretreatment and posttreatment plus storage; however, all CP treatments resulted in increased L∗ value (P

Curcumin has a high inhibitory effect on many potential diseases caused by bacteria and fungi. However, its degradability and low water solubility limit its application. Loading curcumin with an emulsion delivery system can overcome these problems. Five different types of emulsifiers were used to prepare the curcumin-loaded nanoemulsions, namely, Tween 80 (T80), Span 80 (S80), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), soybean protein isolate (SPI), and lecithin (LEC). The effects of emulsifier types and post-treatment methods on emulsion stability and curcumin-load efficiency were studied. In addition, photodynamic inactivation was used to test the antibacterial effect of nanoemulsions on Escherichia coli under blue light excitation. The five types of emulsifiers could form uniform emulsions with good storage stability and with antibacterial capacity on Escherichia coli. Among them, the T80 and LEC emulsions had good stability, coating effect, and sterilization performance under heating or room temperature. Both curcumin-loaded bactericidal emulsions had the potential for large-scale applications. A nanoemulsions delivery system could effectively improve the dispersion and chemical stability of curcumin in water. An emulsion loaded with antibacterial photosensitizer represents a new idea for the storage and preservation of food commodities.

The growth characteristics of Aspergillus parasiticus incubated on two culture media were examined using shortwave infrared (SWIR, 1000–2500nm) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in this work. HSI images of the A. parasiticus colonies growing on rose bengal medium (RBM) and maize agar medium (MAM) were recorded daily for 6 days. The growth phases of A. parasiticus were indicated through the pixel number and average spectra of colonies. On score plot of the first principal component (PC1) and PC2, four growth zones with varying mycelium densities were identified. Eight characteristic wavelengths (1095, 1145, 1195, 1279, 1442, 1655, 1834 and 1929nm) were selected from PC1 loading, average spectra of each colony as well as each growth zone. Furthermore, support vector machine (SVM) classifier based on the eight wavelengths was built, and the classification accuracies for the four zones (from outer to inner zones) on the colonies on RBM were 99.77%, 99.35%, 99.75% and 99.60% and 99.77%, 99.39%, 99.31% and 98.22% for colonies on MAM. In addition, a new score plot of PC2 and PC3 was used to differentiate the colonies incubated on RBM and MAM for 6 days. Then characteristic wavelengths of 1067, 1195, 1279, 1369, 1459, 1694, 1834 and 1929nm were selected from the loading of PC2 and PC3. Based on them, a new SVM model was developed to differentiate colonies on RBM and MAM with accuracy of 100.00% and 99.99%, respectively. In conclusion, SWIR hyperspectral image is a powerful tool for evaluation of growth characteristics of A. parasiticus incubated in different culture media.