Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) supercritical extract as antioxidant in precooked pork chops during chilled storage

The effect of thyme supercritical extract on oxidative stability of precooked and cold-stored (at 4°C for 6 days) pork chops was analysed. Thyme extract was applied with a marinated process (SF1), or was introduced on the surface of the chops after cooking (SF2). Thyme extract in SF1 samples showed a significant protective effect towards oxidation of lipids during the cooking process. Both processes of thyme application showed potential for lipid oxidation inhibition throughout the refrigerate storage period of precooked pork chops, thus protecting colour and sensory characteristics of the samples. Finally, at the end of storage period, the lowest oxidative changes were determined for SF1chops.

Influence of Cultivation Conditions on the Sioxanthin Content and Antioxidative Protection Effect of a Crude Extract from the Vegetative Mycelium of Salinispora tropica

Due to their bioavailability, glycosylated carotenoids may have interesting biological effects. Sioxanthin, as a representative of this type of carotenoid, has been identified in marine actinomycetes of the genus Salinispora. This study evaluates, for the first time, the effect of cultivation temperature (T) and light intensity (LI) on the total cellular carotenoid content (TC), antioxidant activity (AA) and sioxanthin content (SX) of a crude extract (CE) from Salinispora tropica biomass in its vegetative state. Treatment-related differences in TC and SX values were statistically significantly and positively affected by T and LI, while AA was most significantly affected by T. In the S. tropica CE, TC correlated well (R2 = 0.823) with SX and somewhat less with AA (R2 = 0.777). A correlation between AA and SX was found to be less significant (R2 = 0.731). The most significant protective effect against oxidative stress was identified in the CE extracted from S. tropica biomass grown at the highest T and LI (CE-C), as was demonstrated using LNCaP and KYSE-30 human cell lines. The CE showed no cytotoxicity against LNCaP and KYSE-30 cell lines.

Ellagic Acid (EA), a Tannin Was Isolated From Eucalyptus Citriodora Leaves and Its Anti-Inflammatory Activity

A tannin, EA ( 1 ), and other nine non-tannins compounds, gallic acid ( 2 ), quercetin ( 3 ), myricetin ( 4 ), 3-O-methylellagic acid 4'-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside ( 5 ), quercetin-3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside ( 6 ), kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside ( 7 ), quercetin 3-O-β-D-glucuronide ( 8 ), quercetin-3-O-rutinoside ( 9 ), 3,3',4-tri-O-methylellagic acid-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ( 10 ) were isolated from a valuable medicinal plant, Eucalyptus citriodora . Structural identification of these compounds was conducted using 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR spectroscopy and comparing their spectral data with those previously reported in literatures. The anti-inflammatory effects of EA were evaluated in ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer mice models in our study. The result demonstrated that the intragastric administration of EA significantly prevented the gastric ulceration caused by ethanol treatments. Especially, the gastric tissue in the middle dose EA (100 mg/kg) showed few ulcerations with only slight focal congestion which indicated that it has a significant protective effect on gastric ulcer by increasing the IL-10 and PGE 2 levels, and reducing the IL-6, TNF-α, GAS and COX-2 levels. In addition, the middle-dose EA has no adverse effect on liver and kidney. These findings imply that EA exerts gastroprotective effects by means of its anti-inflammatory effects and may be a potential drug for anti-ulcer treatment.

Association of genetic variants rs641153 (CFB), rs2230199 (C3), and rs1410996 (CFH) with age-related macular degeneration in a Brazilian population

This study aimed to investigate the association among genetic variants of the complement pathway CFB R32Q (rs641153), C3 R102G (rs2230199), and CFH (rs1410996) with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a sample of the Brazilian population. In a case-control study, 484 AMD patients were classified according to the clinical age-related maculopathy grading system (CARMS) and compared to 479 unrelated controls. The genetic variants rs1410996 of complement H (CFH), rs641153 of complement factor B (CFB), and rs2230199 of complement 3 (C3) were evaluated through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. The associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and AMD, adjusted by age, were assessed by using logistic regression models. A statistically significant association was observed between AMD risk and rs2230199 variant with an OR of 2.01 ( P = 0.0002) for CG individuals compared to CC individuals. Regarding the comparison of advanced AMD versus the control group, the OR was 2.12 ( P = 0.0036) for GG versus AA genotypes for rs1410996 variant. Similarly, the OR for rs2230199 polymorphism was 2.3034 ( P = 5.47e-05) when comparing CG individuals to CC carriers. In contrast, the rs641153 variant showed a significant protective effect against advanced AMD for GA versus GG genotype (OR = 0.4406; P = 0.0019). When comparing wet AMD versus controls, a significant association was detected for rs1410996 variant (OR = 2.16; P = 0.0039) comparing carriers of the homozygous GG versus AA genotype, as well as in the comparisons of GG (OR = 3.0713; P = 0.0046) and CG genotypes (OR = 2.2249; P = 0.0002) versus CC genotype for rs2230199 variant, respectively. The rs641153 variant granted a significant protective effect against wet AMD for GA versus GG genotypes (OR = 0.4601; P = 0.0044). Our study confirmed the risk association between rs2230199 and rs1410996 variants and AMD, and the protective role against AMD for rs641153 variant.

Sesquiterpenoids and 2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromone Derivatives from the Resinous Heartwood of Aquilaria sinensis

One novel spirolactone, aquilarisinolide (1), three new sesquiterpenoids, (2R,4S,5R,7R)-2-hydroxyeremophila-9,11-dien-8-one (2), (1R,4S,5S,7R,11R)-13-hydroxyepidaphnauran-9-en-8-one (3), and (4R,5S,7R,8S,10S,13R)-8,13-dihydroxyrotunda-1,11-dien-3-one (4), together with 13 known compounds (5–17) were isolated from the resinous heartwood of Aquilaria sinensis (Thymelaeaceae). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on the analysis of NMR and MS data and theoretical calculations their ECD spectra. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their protective activities against PC12 cell injury induced by corticosterone (CORT) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine ion (MPP+), as well as inhibitory activities against BACE1. Compound 4, 5,6-dihydroxy-2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone (5), daphnauranol B (7), 6-methoxy-2-[2-(3-methyoxyphenyl)ethyl]chromone (10), isoagarotetrol (14), and 1-hydroxy-1,5-diphenylpentan-3-one (16) showed significant protective effects on CORT-induced injury in PC12 cells at a concentration of 20 μM (P < 0.001). Isoagarotetrol (14) showed a significant protective effect on MPP+-induced injury in PC12 cells at a concentration of 20 μM (P < 0.001), while compound 4 showed a moderate activity (P < 0.01). The BACE1-inhibitory activities of all tested compounds were very weak with less than 30% inhibition at a concentration of 20 μM. Graphic Abstract

Neuroprotective Potency of Tofu Bio-Processed Using Actinomucor elegans against Hypoxic Injury Induced by Cobalt Chloride in PC12 Cells

Fermented soybean products have attracted great attention due to their health benefits. In the present study, the hypoxia-injured PC12 cells induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl2) were used to evaluate the neuroprotective potency of tofu fermented by Actinomucor elegans (FT). Results indicated that FT exhibited higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity than tofu. Moreover, most soybean isoflavone glycosides were hydrolyzed into their corresponding aglycones during fermentation. FT demonstrated a significant protective effect on PC12 cells against hypoxic injury by maintaining cell viability, reducing lactic dehydrogenase leakage, and inhibiting oxidative stress. The cell apoptosis was significantly attenuated by the FT through down-regulation of caspase-3, caspases-8, caspase-9, and Bax, and up-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. S-phase cell arrest was significantly inhibited by the FT through increasing cyclin A and decreasing the p21 protein level. Furthermore, treatment with the FT activated autophagy, indicating that autophagy possibly acted as a survival mechanism against CoCl2-induced injury. Overall, FT offered a potential protective effect on nerve cells in vitro against hypoxic damage.

Optimal Degree of Hypothermia in Total Arch Replacement for Type A Aortic Dissection

Background: We sought to investigate the best degree of hypothermic cardiac arrest (HCA) in type A aortic dissection (TAAD) with a cohort of 1,018 cases receiving total arch replacement from 2013 to 2018 in Fuwai Hospital.Method: The cohort was divided by DHCA (≤24°C, n = 580) vs. MHCA (&gt;24°C, n = 438), and interquartile range (Q1–Q4). Primary endpoints included mortality, stroke, paraplegia, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), which were summarized as composite major outcomes (CMO).Results: The Odds Ratio (OR) of CMO for MHCA was 0.7 (95% CI: 0.5–1.0, p = 0.06) (unadjusted) and 0.6 (95% CI: 0.4–1.0, p = 0.055) (adjusted). DHCA group tended to have a significantly longer CPB time (175.6 ± 45.6 vs. 166.8 ± 49.8 min, p = 0.003), longer hospital stay (16.0 ± 13.6 vs. 13.5 ± 6.8 days, p &lt; 0.001), and ICU stay [5.0 (3.9–6.6) vs. 3.8 (2.0–5.6) days]. A significantly greater blood loss was observed in DHCA group, with a greater requirement for RBC and platelet transfusion. Of note, MHCA showed a significant protective effect (60% risk reduction) for older patients (above 60 years) (OR 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2–0.8; p = 0.009). By quartering, Q1 had significantly higher mortality (10.9%) than Q4 (5.2%) (p = 0.035). For other comparisons, the gap was significantly widened in quartering between Q1 and Q4, i.e., the lower the temperature, the worse the outcomes, and vice versa. Propensity score matching and sensitivity analyses confirmed the above findings.Conclusions: A paradigm change from DHCA to MHCA may be encouraged in TAAD arch operation, especially for the elderly.

Exosomes Derived from miR-183-Overexpressing Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Alleviate Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion (I/R) Injury through miR-183/ALOX5 axisExosomes Derived from miR-183-Overexpressing Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Alleviate Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion (I/R) Injury through miR-183/ALOX5 Axis

BackgroundIschemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury a crucial factor causing liver injury in clinic. Recent research confirmed that human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can differentiate into functional hepatocytes. However, the mechanism of ADSCs in the treatment of liver injury remains unclear.MethodsCharacteristics of ADSCs were first identified, and exosomes from miR-183-overexpressed ADSCs were isolated and identified. And the function and mechanism of microRNA-183 (miR-183) and arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5) were monitored through biological experiments in HL-7702 cells with I/R injury or I/R rats. ResultsWe proved that inhibition of exosomes from the identified ADSCs prevented proliferation, induced apoptosis and downregulated miR-183 in HL-7702 cells with I/R injury, while exosomes derived from ADSCs played an opposite role on the proliferation and apoptosis of HL-7702 cells with I/R injury in comparison with exosome inhibitors by upregulating miR-183. Meanwhile, the effect of miR-183 alone was similar to that of exosomes derived from ADSCs. Besides, ALOX5, as a target gene of miR-183, was involved in the related functions of miR-183. Moreover, in vivo experiments further confirmed miR-183 or exosomes from ADSCs also could improve liver injury of rats and downregulate MAPK and NF-κB pathways.ConclusionAll these findings testified that exosomes derived from miR-183-overexpressing ADSCs have a significant protective effect on hepatic I/R injury by regulating miR-183/ALOX5 axis, which might provide therapeutic strategy for liver injury.

Association of Sleep Duration With Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Both short (&lt;7 h per night) and long (≥9 h per night) sleep durations are related to atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF), but their causality has not been confirmed. We applied Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches to estimate the causal association between genetically determined sleep duration and the risk of AF and HF. We performed two-sample MR analysis to obtain the effect of sleep duration on AF and HF. Instrumental variables were constructed using genetic variants known to be associated with continuous sleep duration, short sleep duration, and long sleep duration. MR estimates of the effect of sleep duration on AF and HF were derived based on two large meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies. The pooled MR estimate demonstrated a significant protective effect of continuous sleep duration on HF [odds ratio (OR) = 0.765, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.675–0.867; P = 2.64 × 10–5] and a suggestive inverse association of continuous sleep duration with AF (OR = 0.893, 95% CI = 0.804–0.991; P = 0.034). In addition, the results showed a suggestive detrimental effect of short sleep duration on the risk of AF (OR = 1.108, 95% CI = 1.017–1.207; P = 0.019) and HF (OR = 1.136, 95% CI = 1.025–1.258; P = 0.015). Conversely, there is no significant evidence for the causal protective effect of long sleep duration on AF (OR = 0.956, P = 0.410) and HF (OR = 0.921, P = 0.202). This MR study indicated that genetically determined continuous sleep duration has a significant protective effect on HF and a suggestive inverse association with AF. Short sleep duration is positively associated with the risk of AF and HF. Nevertheless, there is no significant evidence for the causal protective effect of long sleep duration on AF and HF. Larger intervention studies are required to confirm the effectiveness of improving sleep on reducing the incidence of AF and HF.

STUDY OF THE HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF EXTRACTS FROM NATIVE AND DISPERSED BIRCH BARK IN CASE OF CARBON TETRACHLODIDE INTOXICATION

The hepatoprotective effect of aqueous alcoholic extracts obtained from the raw materials of native birch bark (NBBE) and previously dispersed to a particle size of 100–300 nm (DBBE) was studied in male rats. The animals were divided into 14 groups of 10 animals each. Groups 1, 2 — intact; 3, 4 — control (carbon tetrachloride); 5, 6 — previously, for 5 days, NBBE was injected once intragastrically at a dose of 50 mg/kg, on the 6th day, a 50 % oil solution of CC14 was injected at a dose of 0,2 ml/100 g abdominally; 7, 8 — DBBE at a dose of 50 mg/kg + CC14; 9, 10 — NBBE at a dose of 100 mg/kg + CC14; 11, 12 — DBBE at a dose of 100 mg/kg + CC14; 13, 14 — the comparison drug carsil was injected at a dose of 100 mg/kg + CC14. On the 4th and 7th day after the injection of CC14, the animals were removed from the experiment. The data obtained indicate the hepatoprotective effect of NBBE and DBBE in carbon tetrachloride intoxication, which was expressed in the necrosis volume density decrease due to their preliminary preventive injection. NBBE at a dose of 100 mg/kg has a more significant protective effect compared to Carsil. Prophylactic injection of DBBE at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg not only prevented the development of necrosis in the liver, but unlike Carsil, it activated intracellular processes of reparative regeneration in the recovery period, which is confirmed by an increase in the number density of binuclear hepatocytes.