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BACKGROUND: The steam processing characteristics of chicken are a key factor in the simplicity and versatility of steamed chicken dishes. The aim of this study was to investigate in depth the changes in tenderness and water retention of marinated chicken at different slow steaming endpoint temperatures, and to further explore the effect of the evolution of protein conformations on the water status. RESULTS: The results showed that chicken samples' shear force peaked at 80 °C and decreased rapidly at 90 °C. As the steaming endpoint temperature increased between 50 and 90 °C, T21, T22, moisture content and centrifugal loss decreased, but P21, P22 and myofibril water‐holding capacity showed regular changes. The electrophoretic bands and protein conformation changes showed that protein in marinated chicken underwent different degrees of denaturation, degradation and aggregation. And at 70 °C, with an increase of hydrophobic groups and crosslinking of disulfide bonds as well as an increase in the number of denatured sarcoplasmic proteins, the intermolecular network was enhanced, thus affecting the water retention. CONCLUSION: Water status of chicken meat heated at different steaming temperatures is closely related to the evolution of protein conformations. The present study serves as a robust theoretical foundation for enhancing the quality of steamed chicken products at an industrial scale. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study examined the effects of different degree of esterification (DE) on the stability of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) fabricated using pectin‐whey protein isolate complexes. The modified pectin with different DE was prepared using the alkali de‐esterification method with high methoxyl pectin (HMP). The impact of DE on the conformational changes of pectin and whey protein isolate (WPI) during the complexes formation was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Citrus pectin (CP)–WPI complexes and camellia oil were used to create an emulsion with a self‐supporting structure of 75% internal phase volume. The thermal, centrifugal, storage and freeze–thaw stabilities of CP–WPI stabilised HIPPEs with different DE were evaluated and the results revealed that the low methoxyl pectin (LMP) produced via alkali de‐esterification altered the charge density of pectin. Compared with the untreated pectin, the electrostatic interaction between CP–WPI complexes was enhanced and the stability of CP–WPI stabilised HIPPEs was improved. The study will help to better understand the interaction between CP and WPI, enhance the efficiency of the pectin–protein delivery system and improve the utilisation rate of citrus pectin, which has important guiding significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Puffballs are a class of fungi widely distributed worldwide and associated with various bioactivities. This research mainly showed the antitumor bioactivity of extracts from Calvatia lilacina (CL), which is a common variety of puffballs. NMR and high-performance liquid chromatography methods are used to characterize the extracts. Results showed that CL extracts obtained with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water elicited obvious inhibitory effects on the proliferation of A549, Caco-2, and MDA-MB-231. Among these extracts, petroleum ether extract demonstrated the highest performance. This extract was then separated into seven sub-fractions (SFs). Three of these SFs (3#, 6#, and 7#) induces a decrease in the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells in which 7# SF exhibited the highest cytotoxicity, where the major component was found to be ergosta-7,22-dien-3-one. Further tests revealed that 7# SF from petroleum ether extract could trigger severe cell death in human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) by activating the apoptotic pathway dependent on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and caspase activation. All these results in combination indicate that the mechanism of extract-potentiated apoptosis associates closely with ROS-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction events which further induces mitochondria-mediated intrinsic cytochrome C-caspase-related pathway of apoptosis. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2021.1936576 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The viscosity of Chinese rice wine gradually increases with the maturing process, resulting in a better taste due to longer contact with the tongue. Herein, the structure of water-ethanol was detected by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and viscosity measurement to define the strength of hydrogen bonding. Through single-factor experiments, it can be seen that most of the flavors have a promoting effect on alcohol-water hydrogen bonding, with the exception of aldehydes. And the factors influencing hydrogen bonding in decreasing order were determined by Plackett-Burman (PB) test. The relationship between hydrogen bonding strength and flavor in Chinese rice wine with 18% (v/v) alcohol concentration was investigated through multiple regression analysis, with an adjusted R2 of 0.925. The results of study provide important insight for the quality control and molecular mechanism of viscosity increasing during Chinese rice wine aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To test the antimicrobial activity of different extracts and fermentation broth from puffball( Bovistella radicata), the different extracts and fermentation broth of puffball were prepared, the active fraction was investigated by UPLC-UV-MS and semi-preparative chromatograph. Results: Through zones of inhibition (ZOI) and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) tests, the supernatant of fermentation possessed best antimicrobial activity in all extracts whose MIC value is 31.2 μg/ml against T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. And ZOI value is 29.01, 21.02, 35.02, 28.01 mm against T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Then we compare the puffball fermentation supernatant with blank contrast by LC-MS. There are the characteristic peaks named PBR-1 and PBR-2 with the puffball fermentation supernatant, the separation of compound PBR-1 and PBR-2 was done on semi-preparative C18 column and the MIC and ZOI of compound PBR-1 and PBR-2 are 15.6 μg/ml and 34 mm with the antifungal test. Conclusions: The fermentation supernatant and compound PBR-1 and PBR-2 have promising antifungal activity against T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Thyroid surgery with intraoperative nerve monitoring under total intravenous anaesthesia often requires deeper sedation due to limitations or lack of neuromuscular blocking agents, usually resulting in haemodynamic instability. Remimazolam, a newly developed sedative, is being studied for its effect on the haemodynamic profile of patients undergoing this procedure and compared with propofol., Methods and Analysis: This will be a single-centre, single-blind, randomised, controlled trial in American Society of Anesthesiologists I-III patients between the ages of 18 and 65 who require recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring for thyroid surgery. Patients will be randomised 1:1 to either remimazolam besylate or propofol, with 142 cases in each group according to a randomised, computer-generated cohort. The primary outcome is the occurrence of hypotension from induction of anaesthesia to full recovery. Secondary outcomes include the administration of vasoactive agents, the number of hypotension or hypertension episodes, the cumulative duration of hypotension or hypertension, the dose of intraoperative rescue sedation and analgesia, the time to extubation and awakening and the incidence of adverse events., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University (2023-2024). The study protocol was modified according to the reviewers' comments, and the revised version was approved by the Ethics Committee (2024 Research Ethics Amendment No. 3). On completion of the study, we will commit to ensuring that the results are made available to the public, regardless of the outcome. This will include either publication in an appropriate journal or oral presentation at academic conferences., Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR2300076583., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: The role of SMU1 in DNA replication and RNA splicing is well-established, yet its specific function and dysregulated mechanisms in gastric cancer (GC) remain inadequately elucidated. This study seeks to investigate the potential oncogenic and progression-promoting effects of SMU1 in GC, with the ultimate goal of informing novel approaches for treatment and diagnosis., Methods: The study investigated the expression levels of SMU1 in GC and adjacent normal tissues by analyzing data from the TCGA (27 tissue pairs) and GEO (47 tissue pairs) databases. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine 277 tumor tissue and adjacent non-tumor tissue spots from GC tissue chips, along with relevant follow-up information. The study further assessed the proliferation, invasion, and migration capabilities of cells by manipulating SMU1 expression levels and conducting various assays, including CCK-8, EdU incorporation, colony formation, transwells, flow cytometry, and subcutaneous tumorigenesis assays., Results: Our study revealed a significant upregulation of SMU1 mRNA and protein levels in GC tissues compared to adjacent tissues. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that elevated levels of SMU1 were independent prognostic factors for GC prognosis ( P = 0.036). Additionally, median survival analysis indicated a significant association between high SMU1 expression and poor prognosis in GC patients ( P = 0.0002). In experiments conducted both in vivo and in vitro, it was determined that elevated levels of SMU1 can enhance the proliferation, invasion, and migration of GC cells, whereas suppression of SMU1 can impede the progression of GC by modulating the G1/S checkpoint of the cell cycle., Conclusions: Our research introduces the novel idea that SMU1 could serve as a prognostic marker for GC progression, influencing cell proliferation through cell cycle activation. These results offer valuable insights into the understanding, diagnosis, and management of gastric carcinoma., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: In order to improve the rate of the heterotrophic nitrification, we screened and identified a high-efficient heterotrophic nitrifier, as well as studied its nitrification characteristics and nitrification conditions., Methods: We obtained activated sludge samples from sewage and chemical fertilizer factories and farmland. We then utilized sodium citrate and ammonium chloride as carbon and nitrogen source. We used methods including domestication, gradient dilution of domestication liquid, isolation from streaking plate and color indicator as rapid nitrification detection. Finally a high-efficient heterotrophic nitrifier was obtained. We identified this strain according to its physiological, biochemical properties and the sequence analysis of 16S rDNA. After inoculating the strain into artificial ammonia-nitrogen wastewater, changes of nitrogen compounds were measured in order to understand the nitrification characteristics. Nitrification condition was also optimized by changing the carbon source, dissolved oxygen, C/N ratio, temperature and pH of the medium., Results: The heterotrophic nitrifier was a gram-negative bacilli. It neither fermented glucose, nor produced indole. Oxidase and catalase tests were positive. It could produce alkali if organic salt was provided. The strain shared 99.7% sequence identity of its 16S rDNA with ES-SDK-3 of Alcaligenes sp. In the artificial wastewater with 182.30 mg/L ammonia nitrogen as initial concentration, the removal efficiency by the strain was 99. 8% after 30h cultivation. The average nitrogen removal rate was 9. 61 mg-N/L/h in its exponential phase. It produced almost no NO(2-)-N and NO(3-)-N in the entire nitrification process. The optimal carbon source is sodium citrate. Higher dissolved oxygen and C/N ratio favor its nitrification. When temperature is ranged from 30 degrees C to 35 degrees C and pH is ranged from 5.0 to 9.0, it can completely remove ammonia nitrogen., Conclusions: The strain was identified as Alcaligenes genus, and named as Alcaligenes sp. HN-S. Our research confirmed that the Alcaligenes sp. HN-S had significant advantages over heterotrophic nitrifiers that were screened previously with aspect of ammonia nitrogen removal rate. The research of its nitrification condition definitely provided necessary theory support for a new biology process to remove nitrogen with high efficiency.