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As countries increase their standard of living and individual income levels rise, there is a concomitant increase in the demand for animal-based protein. However, there are alternative sources. One of the alternatives available is that of increased direct human consumption of plant proteins. The quality of a dietary protein is an important consideration when discussing the merits of one protein source over another. The three most commonly used methods to express protein quality are the protein efficiency ratio (PER), a weight gain measurement; protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS); and the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS). The possibility that alterations in the quality and quantity of protein in the diet could generate specific health outcomes is one being actively researched. Plant-based proteins may have additional beneficial properties for human health when compared to animal protein sources, including reductions in risk factors for cardiovascular disease and contributions to increased satiety. In this paper, the methods for the determination of protein quality and the potential beneficial qualities of plant proteins to human health will be described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shepody potatoes were cooked using three common cooking methods - microwaving, boiling and pressure cooking. Microwaving for 2.5 min retained the highest amounts of slowly digestible starch ( SDS, 19.6%) and resistant starch ( RS, 48.8%) as compared to the other cooking treatments. Similarly, enthalpy and FTIR results (ratio of 1047/1022 cm−1) were also higher for microwaved samples, again indicating incomplete gelatinisation. Potatoes were also boiled for 15, 30 or 45 min, followed by 1, 3 or 7 days retrogradation at 23 or 4 °C. Retrogradation enthalpy increased significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) with increased storage time and decreased storage temperature; FTIR results displayed temperature dependency; at 4 °C, ordered structure increased with increasing storage time, whereas the opposite trend was seen at 23 °C. Lastly, formation of SDS and RS was favoured for longer boiling times (30 - 45 min), extended storage times (3-7 days) and 4 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network pharmacology and animal and cell experiments were employed to explore the mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ(AST Ⅳ) combined with Panax notoginseng saponins(PNS) in regulating angiogenesis to treat cerebral ischemia. The method of network pharmacology was used to predict the possible mechanisms of AST Ⅳ and PNS in treating cerebral ischemia by mediating angiogenesis. In vivo experiment: SD rats were randomized into sham, model, and AST Ⅳ(10 mg·kg~(-1)) + PNS(25 mg·kg~(-1)) groups, and the model of cerebral ischemia was established with middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) method. AST Ⅳ and PNS were administered by gavage twice a day. the Longa method was employed to measure the neurological deficits. The brain tissue was stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE) to reveal the pathological damage. Immunohistochemical assay was employed to measure the expression of von Willebrand factor(vWF), and immunofluorescence assay to measure the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA). Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2(VEGFR2), VEGFA, phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(p-PI3K), and phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-AKT) in the brain tissue. In vitro experiment: the primary generation of rat brain microvascular endothelial cells(rBEMCs) was cultured and identified. The third-generation rBMECs were assigned into control, model, AST Ⅳ(50 μmol·L~(-1)) + PNS(30 μmol·L~(-1)), LY294002(PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitor), 740Y-P(PI3K/AKT signaling pathway agonist), AST Ⅳ + PNS + LY294002, and AST Ⅳ + PNS + 740Y-P groups. Oxygen glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation(OGD/R) was employed to establish the cell model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) and scratch assay were employed to examine the survival and migration of rBEMCs, respectively. Matrigel was used to evaluate the tube formation from rBEMCs. The Transwell assay was employed to examine endothelial cell permeability. Western blot was employed to determine the expression of VEGFR2, VEGFA, p-PI3K, and p-AKT in rBEMCs. The results of network pharmacology analysis showed that AST Ⅳ and PNS regulated 21 targets including VEGFA and AKT1 of angiogenesis in cerebral infarction. Most of these 21 targets were involved in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The in vivo experiments showed that compared with the model group, AST Ⅳ + PNS reduced the neurological deficit score(P<0.05) and the cell damage rate in the brain tissue(P<0.05), promoted the expression of vWF and VEGFA(P<0.01) and angiogenesis, and up-regulated the expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway(P<0.05, P<0.01). The in vitro experiments showed that compared with the model group, the AST Ⅳ + PNS, 740Y-P, AST Ⅳ + PNS + LY294002, and AST Ⅳ + PNS + 740Y-P improved the survival of rBEMCs after OGD/R, enhanced the migration of rBEMCs, increased the tubes formed by rBEMCs, up-regulated the expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway, and reduced endothelial cell permeability(P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the LY294002 group, the AST Ⅳ + PNS + LY294002 group showed increased survival rate, migration rate, and number of tubes, up-regulated expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway, and decreased endothelial cell permeability(P<0.05,P<0.01). Compared with the AST Ⅳ + PNS and 740Y-P groups, the AST Ⅳ + PNS + 740Y-P group presented increased survival rate, migration rate, and number of tubes and up-regulated expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway, and reduced endothelial cell permeability(P<0.01). This study indicates that AST Ⅳ and PNS can promote angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

In order to examine the growth heterogeneity of juvenile Engraulis japonicus , we conducted heterogeneity analysis of fork length-weight relationships of the species based on the samples of juvenile E. japonius from April to June 2019 collected from the coastal waters of Zhejiang Province by using the generalized linear model and 9 linear mixed-effect models. The results showed that the fork length of juvenile E. japonius was between 14-74 mm, with an average of 33 mm. The dominant fork length group was 21-50 mm. The weight range was 0.01-2.96 g, with an average of 0.28 g, and the dominant body weight group was 0.01-0.50 g. According to Akaike information criterion (AIC), the growth-fitting model with both months and regions random effects on the growth parameters a and b of juvenile E. japonius fitted best . The reliable prediction results was testified by the cross-validation. In the best model, the fixed value of growth parameter a was 0.24×10 -5 and its estimated value did not fluctuate significantly, while the fixed value of b was 3.246 and the estimated value ranged from 3.206 to 3.272, indicating that juvenile E. japonius was under positive allometric growth. Our results suggested that month and region significantly affected the fork length-weight relationships of juvenile E. japonius .

Electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) has been regarded as a potential environmentally friendly broad spectrum microbial decontaminant. EOW with a pH of 3.0 and oxidation reduction potential of 1,079.0 mV were generated by the electrolysis of a dilute NaCl solution (20 mM) in an electrochemical cell. The effects of EOW, 1% NaClO solution, and alkaline electrolyzed water on controlling microbial growth, germination ratio, and enrichment of gamma-aminobutyric acid in germinated brown rice (GBR) were evaluated in this study. Results show that EOW was the most effective at inhibiting microbial growth during germination. Rinsing the rice grains with EOW at 12-h intervals resulted in aerobic plate count reductions of 4.82 log CFU/g, while soaking resulted in bacterial count reductions of 5.38 log CFU/g after 72 h of germination. Moreover, EOW significantly enriched gamma-aminobutyric acid content in GBR (P < 0.05); content was increased 1.6 times in grain rinsed with EOW and 1.8 times in grain soaked in EOW. The findings indicate that EOW is a feasible disinfectant for industrial GBR production.