Latest Issue
Issue 11 ， 2019
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Automated microfluidic chip system for radiosynthesis of PET imaging probes
Abstract：Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful non-invasive molecular imaging technique for the early detection, characterization, and “real-time” monitoring of disease, and for investigating the efficacy of drugs (Phelps, 2000; Ametamey et al., 2008). The development of molecular probes bearing short-lived positron-emitting radionuclides, such as 18F (half-life 110 min) or 11C (half-life 20 min), is crucial for PET imaging to collect in vivo metabolic information in a time-efficient manner (Deng et al., 2019). In this regard, one of the main challenges is rapid synthesis of radiolabeled probes by introducing the radionuclides into pharmaceuticals as soon as possible before injection for a PET scan. Although many potential PET probes have been discovered, only a handful can satisfy the demand for a highly efficient synthesis procedure that achieves radiolabeling and delivery for imaging within 1–2 radioisotope half-lives. Only a few probes, such as 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) and [18F]fluorodopa, are routinely produced on a commercial scale for daily clinical diagnosis (Grayson et al., 2018; Carollo et al., 2019).Keywords：Positron emission tomography (PET);Molecular imaging probe;Modularization;Automated microfluidic chip system- 137
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Published：2022-01-05
Editorial
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Scavenging activity and mechanism study of ferulic acid against reactive carbonyl species acrolein#
Abstract：Acrolein, known as one of the most common reactive carbonyl species, is a toxic small molecule affecting human health in daily life. This study is focused on the scavenging abilities and mechanism of ferulic acid and some other phenolic acids against acrolein. Among the 13 phenolic compounds investigated, ferulic acid was found to have the highest efficiency in scavenging acrolein under physiological conditions. Ferulic acid remained at (3.04±1.89)% and acrolein remained at (29.51±4.44)% after being incubated with each other for 24 h. The molecular mechanism of the detoxifying process was also studied. Detoxifying products, namely 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (product 21) and 5-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)pent-4-enal (product 22), were identified though nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), after the scavenging process. Ferulic acid showed significant activity in scavenging acrolein under physiological conditions. This study indicates a new method for inhibiting damage from acrolein.Keywords：Acrolein;Reactive carbonyl species;Ferulic acid;Cytotoxicity;Oxidative stress- 30
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Effects of dietary glycerol monolaurate on productive performance, egg quality, serum biochemical indices, and intestinal morphology of laying hens
Abstract：Glycerol monolaurate (GML) has been widely used as an effective antibacterial emulsifier in the food industry. A total of 360 44-week-old Hy-Line brown laying hens were randomly distributed into four groups each with six replicates of 15 birds, and fed with corn-soybean-meal-based diets supplemented with 0, 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 g/kg GML, respectively. Our results showed that 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 g/kg GML treatments significantly decreased feed conversion ratios (FCRs) by 2.65%, 7.08%, and 3.54%, respectively, and significantly increased the laying rates and average egg weights. For egg quality, GML drastically increased albumen height and Haugh units, and enhanced yolk color. Notably, GML increased the concentrations of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and reduced the concentration of total saturated fatty acids in the yolk. The albumen composition was also significantly modified, with an increase of 1.02% in total protein content, and increased contents of His (4.55%) and Glu (2.02%) under the 0.30 g/kg GML treatment. Additionally, GML treatments had positive effects on the lipid metabolism of laying hens, including lowering the serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels and reducing fat deposition in abdominal adipose tissue. Intestinal morphology was also improved by GML treatment, with increased villus length and villus height to crypt depth ratio. Our data demonstrated that GML supplementation of laying hens could have beneficial effects on both their productivity and physiological properties, which indicates the potential application of GML as a functional feed additive and gives us a new insight into this traditional food additive.Keywords：Glycerol monolaurate (GML);Laying hen;Productive performance;Egg quality;Lipid metabolism- 22
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Development and optimization of an intergeneric conjugation system and analysis of promoter activity in
Streptomyces rimosus M527Abstract：An efficient genetic transformation system and suitable promoters are essential prerequisites for gene expression studies and genetic engineering in streptomycetes. In this study, firstly, a genetic transformation system based on intergeneric conjugation was developed in Streptomyces rimosus M527, a bacterial strain which exhibits strong antagonistic activity against a broad range of plant-pathogenic fungi. Some experimental parameters involved in this procedure were optimized, including the conjugative media, ratio of donor to recipient, heat shock temperature, and incubation time of mixed culture. Under the optimal conditions, a maximal conjugation frequency of 3.05×10−5 per recipient was obtained. Subsequently, based on the above developed and optimized transformation system, the synthetic promoters SPL-21 and SPL-57, a native promoter potrB, and a constitutive promoter permE* commonly used for gene expression in streptomycetes were selected and their activity was analyzed using gusA as a reporter gene in S. rimosus M527. Among the four tested promoters, SPL-21 exhibited the strongest expression activity and gave rise to a 2.2-fold increase in β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity compared with the control promoter permE*. Promoter SPL-57 showed activity comparable to that of permE*. Promoter potrB, which showed the lowest activity, showed a 50% decrease in GUS activity compared with the control permE*. The transformation system developed in this study and the tested promotors provide a basis for the further modification of S. rimosus M527.Keywords：Streptomyces rimosus M527;Intergeneric conjugation;Promoter;β-Glucuronidase (GUS)- 103
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Microencapsulated β-carotene preparation using different drying treatments
Abstract：β-Carotene is one of the most abundant natural pigments in foods; however, usage of β-carotene is limited because of its instability. Microencapsulation techniques are usually applied to protect microencapsulated β-carotene from oxidization. In this study, β-carotene was microencapsulated using different drying processes: spray-drying, spray freeze-drying, coating, and spray granulation. The properties of morphology, particle size, water content, thermal characteristic, and chemical stability have been explored and compared. Scanning electron microscopy measurements showed that the coated powder had a dense surface surrounded by starch and suggested that the coating process gave a microencapsulated powder with the smallest bulk density and the best compressibility among the prepared powders. The chemical stabilities of microcapsules were evaluated during six months of storage at different temperatures. The coated powder had the highest mass fraction of β-carotene, which indicated that the coating process was superior to the three other drying processes.Keywords：β-Carotene;Microencapsulation;Spray-drying;Spray freeze-drying;Coating;Spray granulation- 130
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Association between social health status and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elderly adults in Zhejiang Province, China
Abstract：Objective:Mental disorders of the elderly population in China deserve attention. Social health is significantly associated with depression. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of depressive symptoms and to test the relationships between social health and depressive symptoms among a large sample of community-dwelling elderly adults.Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional study among community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or above in Zhejiang Province, China. Face-to-face interviews were used to complete a structured questionnaire for all participants. We used the Social Health Scale for the Elderly (SHSE) to evaluate social health status and used the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale to evaluate depressive symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between social health status and depressive symptoms.Results:Of the total of 3757 participants included, 1887 (50.23%) were female, and the mean±standard deviation (SD) age was (70.0±8.3) years. The rate of depressive symptoms was 25.92%. The social health score was higher in non-depressed participants than in depressed participants (raw score 50.7 vs. 48.3, P<0.001). Participants with “moderate” or “good” social health had a significantly lower risk of depressive symptoms than those with “poor” social health (odds ratio (OR)=0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.46–0.66 for moderate social health; OR=0.45, 95% CI: 0.35–0.60 for good social health). The association between social health and depressive symptoms was consistent across several subgroups.Conclusions:Social health is significantly inversely associated with depressive symptoms. The SHSE may serve as an efficient screener to identify those elderly adults with social health deficits, but systematic assessment to guide intervention merits further investigation.Keywords：Depressive symptom;Social health;Elderly adult- 15
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Published：2022-01-05
Article
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Alternative role of noncoding RNAs: coding and noncoding properties
Abstract：Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have played a critical role in cellular biological functions. Recently, some peptides or proteins originating from annotated ncRNAs were identified in organism development and various diseases. Here, we briefly review several novel peptides translated by annotated ncRNAs and related key functions. In addition, we summarize the potential mechanism of bifunctional ncRNAs and propose a specific “switch” triggering the transformation from the noncoding to the coding state under certain stimuli or cellular stress. The coding properties of ncRNAs and their peptide products may provide a novel horizon in proteomic research and can be regarded as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of various diseases.Keywords：Non-coding RNA;Biological function;Micropeptides;Cellular stress- 35
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Integrated analysis of hypoxia-induced miR-210 signature as a potential prognostic biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma: a study based on The Cancer Genome Atlas#
Abstract：Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of liver cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer mortality with an estimated 745 500 deaths annually (Jemal et al., 2011). Although new therapeutic modalities including novel chemotherapeutic interventions and targeted therapy have been applied, the prognosis of HCC patients remains unsatisfactory due to the high incidence of intrahepatic and distal metastases (Siegel et al., 2018).Keywords：miR-210;The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA);Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC);Hypoxia;prognostic biomarker- 130
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Difference in survival between right-versus left-sided colorectal neuroendocrine neoplasms#
Abstract：Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors that arise from neuroendocrine cells, and in some cases are capable of producing agents that may cause characteristic hormonal syndromes (Cives and Strosberg, 2018). Such tumors were previously thought to be rare, but the rate of detection of NENs, especially from the gastrointestinal tract, is increasing with the widespread use of colonoscopy, cross-sectional imaging, and biomarkers (Gu et al., 2019). A study based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database showed that the age-adjusted incidence of NENs increased 6.4-fold from 1973 (1.09 per 100 000) to 2012 (6.98 per 100 000) (Dasari et al., 2017), while there was a progressive increase in the incidence of colorectal NENs (Starzyńska et al., 2017).Keywords：Acrolein;Reactive carbonyl species;Ferulic acid;Cytotoxicity;Oxidative stress- 15
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Published：2022-01-05 -
Combined gastroscopic and choledochoscopic transabdominal nasobiliary drainage
Abstract：Common bile duct (CBD) stones are a frequent problem in Chinese populations, and their incidence is particularly high in certain areas (Wang et al., 2013). In recent years, laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) have been the main surgical procedures for CBD stones, although each has different advantages and disadvantages in the treatment of choledocholithiasis (Loor et al., 2017; Zhou et al., 2017). For patients with large stones, a dilated CBD, especially concurrent gallstones, LCBDE is the preferred and most economical minimally invasive procedure (Koc et al., 2013). However, a T-tube is often placed during LCBDE to prevent postoperative bile leakage; this is associated with problems such as bile loss, electrolyte disturbance, and decreased gastric intake (Martin et al., 1998). In addition, the T-tube usually must remain in place for more than a month, during which time the patient’s quality of life is seriously compromised. Many skilled surgeons currently perform primary closure of the CBD following LCBDE, which effectively speeds up rehabilitation (Hua et al., 2015). However, even in sophisticated medical centers, the incidence of postoperative bile leakage still reaches ≥10% (Liu et al., 2017). Especially for a beginner, bile leakage remains a key problem (Kemp Bohan et al., 2017). Therefore, a safe and effective minimally invasive surgical approach to preventing bile leakage during primary closure of the CBD after LCBDE is still urgently needed.Keywords：Choledochoscope;Gastroscope;laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE);Nasobiliary drainage- 52
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Published：2022-01-05
Correspondence
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