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Aurones are a subclass of active flavonoids characterized with a scaffold of 2-benzylidene-3(2H)-benzofuranone. This type of chemicals are widely distributed in fruit, vegetable and flower, and contribute to human health. In this review, we summarize the natural aurones isolated from dietary plants. Their positive effects on immunomodulation, antioxidation, cancer prevention as well as maintaining the health status of cardiovascular, nervous system and liver organs are highlighted. The biosynthesis strategies of plant-derived aurones are elaborated to provide solutions for their limited natural abundance. The potential application of natural aurones in food coloration are also discussed. This paper combines the up-to-date information and gives a full image of dietary aurones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvested longan fruit is prone to pericarp browning, which restricts preservation quality and shortens fruit shelf life. The antioxidant system can defend against oxidative stress–mediated quality deterioration such as fruit browning. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tert‐butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) on anti‐browning ability of longan fruit in association with redox metabolism. The results indicated that the application of 0.02% TBHQ significantly suppressed the progression of pericarp browning. In comparison with control, TBHQ treatment decreased the contents of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide radical (O2−⋅), and malondialdehyde, and retained high levels of ascorbic acid (AsA), glutathione (GSH), total phenolics as well as 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl scavenging rate. Enhanced enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), monodehydroascorbate reductase, and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), but decreased activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase were also observed in TBHQ‐treated fruit. Gene expression analysis indicated that redox metabolism‐related genes, including DlSOD, DlCAT, DlGR, and DlAPX, were upregulated after TBHQ treatment. Correlation analysis suggested that antioxidants, including AsA, GSH, CAT, APX, SOD, and DHAR, were negatively correlated to reactive oxygen species production and percarp browning. These results suggest that TBHQ is effective in alleviating pericarp browning by increasing antioxidant capacity of longan fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) of postpartum depression (PPD) based on accumulated cohorts with multiple ethnic backgrounds have failed to identify significantly associated loci. Herein, we conducted a GWAS of Japanese perinatal women along with detailed confounding information to uncover PPD‐associated loci. Methods: The first and second cohorts (n = 9260 and n = 8582 perinatal women enrolled in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project) and the third cohort (n = 997), recruited at Nagoya University, underwent genotyping. Of them, 1421, 1264, and 225 were classified as PPD based on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale 1 month after delivery. The most influential confounding factors of genetic liability to PPD were selected, and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate genetic associations with PPD after adjusting for confounders. Results: A meta‐analysis of GWAS results from the three cohorts identified significant associations between PPD and the following loci (P < 5 × 10−8) by integrating the number of deliveries and the number of family members living together as the most influential confounders: rs377546683 at DAB1, rs11940752 near UGT8, rs141172317, rs117928019, rs76631412, rs118131805 at DOCK2, rs188907279 near ZNF572, rs504378, rs690150, rs491868, rs689917, rs474978, rs690118, rs690253 near DIRAS2, rs1435984417 at ZNF618, rs57705782 near PTPRM, and rs185293917 near PDGFB. Pathway analyses indicated that SNPs suggestively associated with PPD were mostly over‐represented in categories including long‐term depression, GnRH signaling, glutamatergic synapse, oxytocin signaling, and Rap1 signaling. Conclusion: The current GWAS study identified eight loci significantly associated with PPD, which may clarify the genetic structure underlying its pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The nature of the recovery process of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is multifactorial. The Massive Parallel Limitless-Arity Multiple-testing Procedure (MP-LAMP), which was developed to detect significant combinational risk factors comprehensively, was utilized to reveal hidden combinational risk factors to explain the long-term trajectory of the PTSD symptoms. In 624 population-based subjects severely affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, 61 potential risk factors encompassing sociodemographics, lifestyle, and traumatic experiences were analyzed by MP-LAMP regarding combinational associations with the trajectory of PTSD symptoms, as evaluated by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised score after eight years adjusted by the baseline score. The comprehensive combinational analysis detected 56 significant combinational risk factors, including 15 independent variables, although the conventional bivariate analysis between single risk factors and the trajectory detected no significant risk factors. The strongest association was observed with the combination of short resting time, short walking time, unemployment, and evacuation without preparation (adjusted P value = 2.2 × 10−4, and raw P value = 3.1 × 10−9). Although short resting time had no association with the poor trajectory, it had a significant interaction with short walking time (P value = 1.2 × 10−3), which was further strengthened by the other two components (P value = 9.7 × 10−5). Likewise, components that were not associated with a poor trajectory in bivariate analysis were included in every observed significant risk combination due to their interactions with other components. Comprehensive combination detection by MP-LAMP is essential for explaining multifactorial psychiatric symptoms by revealing the hidden combinations of risk factors.

Safety concerns associated with lithium batteries suggest the development of solid-state batteries as a promising variant. In this work, we doped a lithium boracite (Li4B7O12Cl) with Mg2+ to modify the Li+ sites and observed significant improvement in ionic conductivity by two orders of magnitude (from 3.03 × 10−7 S cm−1 to 2.81 × 10−5 S cm−1 at room temperature). We attribute the enhanced ion conductivity to the artificially induced Li vacancies resulting from Mg doping. The as-fabricated symmetrical battery (Li‖Li3.6Mg0.2B7O12Cl‖Li) exhibited good cycling performance with a stable voltage output even after 60 hours of cycling. The battery showed a coulombic efficiency retention of ∼99.7% after the cycling test. Our work demonstrates that Li4B7O12Cl is a superior solid electrolyte for solid-state batteries and the introduction of Li vacancies can be an efficient approach to greatly improve the ionic conductivity of other electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ternary compounds in the Al–Te–O system have been considered as potential materials for Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramics preparation. Two ternary compounds, Al2TeO6 and Al2Te2O7, have been found in the Al–Te–O system under 920 °C in air. The decomposition behavior of these two compounds has been studied with Thermogravimetric Analysis-Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA-DSC) and equilibration experiments. Phase equilibrium of the Al2O3–TeO2 system has also been experimentally investigated at ambient atmosphere, and corresponding phase diagram has been derived. Obtained results showed that Al2Te2O7, could only be found when TeO2 was 66.7-70.0 mol pct and temperature was at 590 °C to 610 °C. Al2TeO6 decomposed into Al2O3, TeO2(g), and O2(g) when temperature was above 920 °C. Al2Te2O7 converted into Al2TeO6 at 620 ± 2 °C, and then followed the decomposition path of Al2TeO6. In phase equilibrium study, when the initial sample started from the Al2O3–Al2TeO6 region, Al2TeO6 and Al2O3 were found in quenched samples at the temperature range of 500 °C to 915 °C. When the initial sample started from the Al2TeO6–TeO2 phase region, two solid phases, Al2TeO6 and TeO2, could be found in samples prepared under 725 ± 2 °C. When the temperature was above 730 ± 2 °C, there were Al2TeO6 and one oxide liquid phase. In the Al2Te2O7–TeO2 region, all equilibrated samples had Al2Te2O7 and TeO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]