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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of an ever-increasing aging population with various pathological features such as β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation, oxidative stress, an impaired cholinergic system, and neuroinflammation. Several therapeutic drugs have been introduced to slow the progression of AD by targeting the above-mentioned pathways. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that naturally occurring compounds have the potential to serve as adjuvant therapies to alleviate AD symptoms. Carotenoids, a group of natural pigments with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, are proposed to be implicated in neuroprotection. To obtain a comprehensive picture of the effect of carotenoids on AD prevention and development, we critically reviewed and discussed recent evidence from

Seaweeds are traditional food ingredients mainly in seaside regions. Modern food science and nutrition researchers have identified seaweed as a source of functional nutrients, such as dietary soluble and insoluble fibers, proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, prebiotic polysaccharides, polyphenols, and carotenoids. Owing to the rich nutrients, seaweeds and seaweed extract can be used as functional ingredients by modifying the nutrients composition to reduce the proportion of available carbohydrates, delaying the gastric emptying time and the absorption rate of glucose by increasing the digesta viscosity, and attenuating the digesting rate by blocking the activity of digestive enzymes. This review presents the concept of using seaweed as unconventional ingredients that can function synergistically to reduce the glycemic potency of cereal products.

The efficacy of using time restricted eating (TRE) for weight management and to mitigate metabolic disorders in overweight and obese people remains debatable. This meta-analysis quantified the impact of TRE on weight loss and metabolic health in overweight and obese people. The pooled results were subjected to a random-effects modeling using Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman (HKSJ) method. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted based on study types, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) vs. non-randomized studies of interventions (NRSIs). Pooled results showed that subjects on TRE regimen (> 4 weeks) achieved a significant weight loss in comparison with unrestricted time regimen (weighted mean difference: -2.32%; 95% CI: -3.50, -1.14%; p < 0.01); however, weight loss was mainly attributed to the loss of lean mass rather than fat mass. The magnitude of weight loss was inversely correlated with daily fasting duration in RCTs. TRE significantly decreased the diastolic blood pressure and fasting insulin. An increase of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was observed in the TRE group. Favorable effect of TRE was observed on glucose metabolism but not on lipid profiles independent of weight loss. Hence TRE shall be administered with caution to overweight and obese people who have comorbidities such as dyslipidemia and sarcopenia.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children is one of the most common nutrition-related health conditions worldwide. Prebiotic oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), have shown to affect iron absorption in anemic subjects, but the results in previous studies are inconsistent, thus the underlying mechanism and the effective dose of GOS in mitigating anemia remain unclear.The present study aims to investigate the mechanism of how GOS/FOS affect iron absorption in an iron-deficient growing rat model from the perspectives of protein expression and gut microbiota, and determine the optimum dose of GOS. Iron-deficient models are established by providing young rats diet without iron addition for 14 days. Later, iron-deficient rats are provided with standard rat chows supplemented with 0%, 3%, 5%, 10% GOS, and 10% FOS for 21 days. The results show that ≥5% GOS supplementation in diet improves iron status and significantly impacts iron-binding/transport protein expression. Furthermore, a dose-dependent modulating effect of GOS on gut microbiota is determined.For the first time, the present study provides evidence that GOS supplementation induces a dose-response effect on iron absorption and gut microbiota in the established model, suggesting a positive role of GOS in ameliorating IDA in children.

Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling demonstrates multiple advantages over traditional venous blood collection in terms of quantifying biomarkers for clinical applications. The process is more convenient, less invasive and requires smaller sample size. More importantly, it lowers risk of infection and allows easier sample transportation and storage. In this study, an automated high-throughput DBS-LC-MS/MS method was developed for quantifying endogenous biomarkers in DBS (or 20 μL whole blood) and later applied in riboflavin (i.e. vitamin B2) quantification. The method consists of four steps, including internal standard spraying, high pressure sample extraction, LC-MS/MS sample analysis and automatic extraction module cleaning. The last two steps overlap, thus reducing sample preparation time and shorten the sample analysis cycle to five minutes per sample. The method was validated to be selective and sensitive (LLOQ=2 ng/mL) over a range of 2–120 ng/mL. Matrix effect was compensated by the application of internal standard, while within-run precision, between-run precision, accuracy, stability and ruggedness of the developed method were all assessed to be satisfactory. Quantitative analysis of riboflavin in 133 whole blood samples using the developed method demonstrated strong correlation compared with those quantified using traditional manual sample preparation followed by LC-MS/MS analysis (R = 0.9774). In conclusion, an automated high-throughput DBS-LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to be sensitive, accurate and robust, suggesting great potential in the quantification of endogenous biomarkers in blood or other biofluids.

The meso-scale study can reflect the failure nature of fiber reinforced concrete, and the meso-level analysis can be used as the basis for the study of macro-mechanical response of concrete under load. With the aid of 3D-DIC digital image technology, the micro-cracking damage experiment of fiber reinforced concrete is carried out, and the evolution characteristics of strain field in the process of compression loading are analyzed. According to the full-field strain nephogram, the crack propagation and evolution of concrete can be judged. The deformation and failure mechanism of fiber reinforced concrete material is studied by using 3D-DIC observation system, which can be used for fiber coagulation. The study of soil meso-deformation and failure mechanism provides important reference.

Background Excess alcohol exposure leads to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Pueraria lobata (PUE) and Silybum marianum (SIL) are two well-known hepatoprotective herbal remedies with various activities. The possible effect of combination of PUE and SIL on ALD has not been elucidated yet. Purpose We aimed to demonstrate that the combination of PUE and SIL prevents against alcoholic liver injury in mice using a model of chronic-plus-single-binge ethanol feeding. Study design Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8–10), namely the control group (CON), ethanol-induced liver injury group (ETH), 150 mg/kg PUE treated group (PUE), 60 mg/kg SIL treated group (SIL), 210 mg/kg PUE+SIL treatment group (PUE+SIL). Except control group, all animals were fed a modified Lieber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet for 10 days. While, control group received Lieber-DeCarli control diet containing isocaloric maltose dextrin substituted for ethanol. On day 11, the mice orally received a single dose of 31.5% (v/v) ethanol (5 g/kg BW) or an isocaloric maltose solution. Results Ethanol exposure caused liver injury, as demonstrated by remarkably increased plasma parameters, histopathological changes, the increased lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammation in liver. These alterations were ameliorated by the treatments of PUE, SIL and PUE+SIL. While, the PUE+SIL treatment showed the most effective protection, which was associated with reducing alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis via upregulating LKB1/AMPK/ACC signaling, and inhibiting hepatic inflammation via LPS-triggered TLR4-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway. Our results also indicated that the hepatoprotective effects of SIL+PUE might mainly attribute to the protection of SIL and PUE alone in alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis and hepatic inflammation, respectively. Conclusion These findings also suggest that the combination of PUE and SIL has a potential to be developed as a functional food for the management of ALD.

The QuEChERS sample preparation method and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were employed to determine nine volatile N-nitrosamines (VNAs) in Chinese salted fish. This method was validated by considering calibration plot linearity, selectivity, matrix effects, trueness, precision, limits of quantification and specificity. Fifty-four samples of Chinese salted fish obtained from five provinces were analyzed. The results indicated that the concentrations of one VNA, N-nitrosodimethylamine in 57.4% of the samples exceeded the acceptable limit (the China national standard value of 4μgkg-1), and total VNA contents in 68.5% of the samples exceeded the acceptable United States Department of Agriculture limit of 10μgkg-1 for cured meats. In addition, total VNAs in marine salted fish that exceeded the acceptable limit were statistically higher than those in freshwater salted fish. The present study suggests that VNA contamination in Chinese salted fish continues to be serious, and deserves stricter management by the authorities.

Vegan protein-based diet has attracted increasing interest in the prevention of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Meanwhile, adiponectin has become a highly potential molecular target in the prevention of MetS. Our study will identify a potential vegan protein diet for the prevention of MetS using rat models. Thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly assigned into three groups and given diets containing one of the following proteins for 12 weeks: casein (CAS, control diet), soy protein (SOY), and gluten-soy mixed protein (GSM). Changes in metabolic parameters as well as the expressions of adiponectin and its receptors were identified. Compared to CAS diet, both SOY and GSM diets led to decreases in blood total cholesterol and triglycerides, but only GSM diet led to an increase in HDL-cholesterol; no marked difference was observed in blood glucose in all three groups; HOMA-IR was found lower only in SOY group. Among groups, the order of serum adiponectin level was found as GSM > SOY > CAS. Similar order pattern was also observed in expression of adiponectin in adipose tissue and AdipoR1 mRNA in skeletal muscle. Our results suggested for the first time that, besides SOY diet, GSM diet could also be a possible substitute of animal protein to prevent MetS.

Phosphate compounds and related materials are effective amendments for immobilization of heavy metals in contaminated soils. A greenhouse pot experiment with ryegrass (Lolium perenne) as the test plant was conducted to explore the impact of nanoparticle hydroxyapatite (HAP) on the immobilization and bioavailability of Cu and Zn in a heavy metal-polluted soil. The addition of nanoparticle HAP significantly decreased the uptake of Cu and Zn by ryegrass. As a result, the biomass of ryegrass increased as the rate of nanoparticle HAP increased. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and physiologically based extraction test (PBET) results of the treatments showed that the leachable and bioaccessible concentrations of Cu and Zn were significantly reduced after the soil stabilized with nanoparticle HAP. The XRD pattern of nanoparticle HAP was not changed by the presence of Cu and Zn, which suggests that Cu and Zn were immobilized by the formation of solid amorphous phosphate. Nanoparticle HAP was an effective material to immobilize heavy metals in contaminated soils.

The performance of the hybrid wall powered by solar energy was numerically simulated. The factor of H/W was discussed The performance parameters include the induced air mass of the outlet, the induced air velocity of the outlet and the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet. The results show that ratio of H/W has an important effect on the performance of the hybrid wall powered by solar energy. The induced air mass of the outlet is decreased linearly with the ratio of H/W in a logarithmic coordinate. The temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet increases with the increasing of the ratio of H/W. But for the induced air velocity, it increases with the increasing of the ratio of H/W, and when the ratio is higher than 10, it decreases with the increasing of the ratio of H/W.

Interleukin (IL)-17 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. We investigated the association between single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL-17 (rs2275913, IL-17 G-152A) and asthma-related traits. Its effect on IL-17 production was also attractive. One hundred and sixty eight childhood asthmatic patients, 144 bronchiolitis patients, and 205 healthy controls were recruited in this study. SNP rs2275913 was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from parts of healthy controls with different genotype were isolated and cultured with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) for detection of IL-17 in the supernatants. SNP rs2275913 was associated with asthma (P = 0.03) in genotype frequency test. Children with homozygous A were 2.29 times more likely to have asthma than others (95% confidence interval 1.39–3.78, P = 0.001). The strength of associations was moderately higher by allergy comorbidity. Furthermore, SNP rs2275913 A allele was associated with abnormal lung function and serum total IgE in asthmatics, although the production of IL-17 by PHA-induced PBMC seemed to be not different among individuals with different genotypes. The distribution of SNP rs2275913 in bronchiolitis was marginally statistically different with controls and demonstrated a tendency close to that in asthma. Higher Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis detection rates were shown in bronchiolitis patients with homozygous A allele than those with other genotypes (20.8% vs. 3.7%, P

Adsorption and desorption of Cu(II), Zn(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) on a Red soil (RS, Udic Ferrosols) and a Wushan soil (WS, Anthrosol) amended with nanoscale hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP) were studied by batch experiments. The adsorption isotherms show that different kinds of heavy metals had different affinity to the soils in the order of Cu(II) > Pb(II) > Cd(II) > Zn(II). The amount of each heavy metal adsorbed on the RS was lower than that on the WS, because the former had lower CEC and pH than the latter. The amendment of nano-HAP in the soils significantly enhanced the adsorption of heavy metals, in comparison with the treatment receiving no nano-HAP. The Kf, simulated from the adsorption isotherms, increased from 78 to 2180 for Cu(II), 16.6 to 59.5 for Zn(II), and 17.9 to174 for Cd(II) on the RS, and from 995 to 6410 for Cu(II), 52.5 to 92.4 for Zn(II), and 59.2 to 199 for Cd(II) on the WS, when 0.20 g nano-HAP was added into 1.00 g soil. The nano-HAP remarkably inhibited desorption of heavy metals from the soils, suggesting that the addition of nano-HAP can significantly reduce the mobilization of heavy metals and increase their geochemical stability in metal contaminated soils. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010

Adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms of Cu(II) onto a nanosized hydroxyapatite (HAP) in the absence and presence of different low-molecular-weight organic acids are studied in batch experiments. The results show that the adsorption kinetics of Cu(II) onto the HAP are best described by pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption isotherms of Cu(II) onto the HAP fit Dubinin–Radushkevich model very well with high correlation coefficient ( R 2 = 0.97–0.99). The amount adsorbed of Cu(II) onto the HAP at pH 5.5 was much higher than that at pH 4.5. The presence of organic acids significantly decreased the adsorption quantity of Cu(II), clarifying the lower sorption affinities of Cu(II)–organic acid complexes onto the HAP rather than Cu(II) ion. The decreased maximal adsorption quantity of Cu(II) onto the HAP increased with the increasing logarithm of cumulative formation constants of Cu(II) and organic acids. The stronger coordination of organic acid with Cu(II), the more decreased Cu(II) adsorption quantity onto the HAP.

Calorie restriction (CR) via manipulating dietary carbohydrates has attracted increasing interest in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome. There is little consensus about the extent of carbohydrate restriction to elicit optimal results in controlling metabolic parameters. Our study will identify a better carbohydrate-restricted diet using rat models. Rats were fed with one of the following diets for 12 weeks: Control diet, 80% energy (34% carbohydrate-reduced) and 60% energy (68% carbohydrate-reduced) of the control diet. Changes in metabolic parameters and expressions of adiponectin and peroxisome proliferator activator receptor γ (PPARγ) were identified. Compared to the control diet, 68% carbohydrate-reduced diet led to a decrease in serum triglyceride and increases inlow density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and total cholesterol, a 34% carbohydrate-reduced diet resulted in a decrease in triglycerides and an increase in HDL-cholesterol, no changes however, were shown in LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol, reductions in HOMA-IR were observed in both CR groups. Gene expressions of adiponectin and PPARγ in adipose tissues were found proportionally elevated with an increased degree of energy restriction. Our study for the first time ever identified that a moderate-carbohydrate restricted diet is not only effective in raising gene expressions of adiponectin and PPARγ which potentially lead to better metabolic conditions but is better at improving lipid profiles than a low-carbohydrate diet in rats.

Brain iron accumulation is supposed to play a central role in neurodegeneration by inducing oxidative stress. Currently it is unknown to which extent iron entering brain over lifetime exchanges with body iron or if uptake of iron is unidirectional without significant efflux from brain. To study brain iron dynamics in vivo, up to three stable isotope tracers were fed continuously with a standard rodent diet up to 5 months to healthy adult male Wistar rats (n = 8) in a staggered design. Brain iron uptake was found to be bi-directional but iron influx and efflux were unbalanced leading inevitably to brain iron accumulation over time. Brain iron turnover was found to be very low at a half-life of ca. 9 months for tracer iron entering brain. Observed tracer accumulation in brain iron can be extrapolated to an increase of brain iron by ca. 30% in the healthy rats from early adulthood to the end of their lives. In contrast to current beliefs that brain uptake of dietary iron is negligible during adulthood following short-term radiotracer studies, our long-term feeding experiments point to a possible role of the diet in brain iron accumulation and, subsequently, neurodegeneration.

Iron deposits in the brain are a common hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This has spurred the hypothesis that iron may play a functional role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders through free radical damage. Previous short-term studies using radiotracers suggested that brain iron uptake is small as compared to other tissues in adult rodents. This has led to the assumption that brain iron uptake must also be marginal in humans after brain development is complete. In this study we applied a novel approach to determine directly the fraction of iron that was transferred over time from diet to brain and other organs in adult rats. A known amount of a stable iron isotope ((57)Fe) was fed with drinking water to adult rats over 4 months. Uptake of the tracer iron and final iron content in tissues were assessed by Negative Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (NTI-MS). We found that only a very small amount of dietary iron entered the brain (0.000537 ± 0.000076%). This amount, however, is considerable relative to the total brain iron content (9.19 ± 0.71%), which was lower but comparable to percentage uptake in other tissues. Whereas it remains unclear whether excessive dietary iron intake is a risk factor in neurodegenerative diseases or whether high systemic iron correlates with iron deposits in the brain, our study suggests that uptake of dietary iron is much higher than previously thought. This finding challenges current beliefs and points to a possible role of iron nutrition in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders.

To study the impact of neonatal bacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG) vaccination on lung Th17 cells and IL-17 in murine asthma model.Neonatal BALB/c mice were divided into three groups: control, OVA and BCG/OVA groups. BCG was administerd in the BCG/OVA group on postnatal day 2 or 3. Except the control group, the mice in the other two groups were sensitized and undergone OVA challenge. Inflammatory cell numbers and morphological identification of leucocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured by light microscopy. Cytokine IFN-gamma and IL-17 levels in BALF were measured using ELISA. The percentage of lung Th17 cells were assayed by flow cytometry.There was significantly larger number of total cells, lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF in the OVA and BCG/OVA groups compared with the control group. The number or percentage of those cells in the BCG/OVA group was lower than that in the OVA group. The level of IL-17 in BALF was significantly higher in the OVA and the BCG/OVA groups compared with the control group, while the level of IFN-gamma was lower. The OVA group had higher level of IL-17 than the BCG/OVA group. The mice in the OVA and the BCG/OVA groups had a higher percentage of Th17 cells in lungs compared with the control group, but there were no significant differences in the percentage of Th17 cells between the OVA and the BCG/OVA groups.Th17 cells and IL-17 play roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. BCG vaccination can reduce the level of IL-17 in BALF and the reduced IL-17 may be mainly from other IL-17-producing cells in the lungs, not Th17 cells.

It is desirable for an atomic frequency standard that clock transition signal is of both high S/N rate and narrow linewidth. While for a passive coherent population trapping (CPT) frequency standard, increasing S/N rate is at the expense of enwidened lidnewidth, therefore it is crucial to choose a proper combination of S/N rate and linewidth. The present paper presents the experimental results of our systematically study on the relations between clock transition signal and parameters such as temperature and laser intensity with an optical table top CPT frequency standard. The obtained results provide us the criterion of choosing the combination of S/N rate and lidnewidth. The paper also presents experimental study results of de-coherent effect caused by unperfect circular polarization laser. Those experimental results were the good reference in the realization of CPT frequency standard, and they are also the general reference to CPT phenomenon and CPT frequency standard studies.