Effects of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Saccharomyces cerevisiae inoculation on small fermentation starters in Sichuan-style Xiaoqu liquor.

Xiaoqu liquor is a type of distilled spirit in China prepared on a small scale from a small solid starter culture. Although this liquor is popular in southwestern China, it can have a dull taste, limiting its market. To improve the flavour profile of Xiaoqu liquor, we selected two functional yeast strains (Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) from Zaopei (fermented grain) of Baijiu liquor and used them for Xiaoqu liquor fermentation. Compared with traditional Xiaoqu (Starter), bioaugmentation inoculation increased the glucoamylase and acidic protease activities and the ethanol synthesis rate, while decreasing the acidity of the Zaopei (fermented grains) in the early stage of fermentation. By the end of the fermentation process, the alcohol and ester content had also increased by 42.5% and 11.8%, respective, and that of aldehydes and ketones, and heterocyclic compounds decreased by 73.7% and 77.1%, respectively. Traditional isolation and high-throughput sequencing were employed to analyse the microorganisms in the Zaopei. Bioaugmentation inoculation increased the microbial diversity of Xiaoqu liquor during the fermentation process. The dominant fungus during fermentation using the two types of starter cultures was S. cerevisiae, whereas the dominant bacteria was Pseudomonas, followed by Bacillus, Weissella, Lactobacillus, and Bacteroides. Principal component analysis of the bacterial community structure and flavour substances in the Zaopei produced using the two strains revealed that there were few differences between the two liquors and that inoculation with functional yeasts may not change the flavour substances in Xiaoqu liquor. However, correlation analysis showed that Escherichia Shigella, Terrisporobacter, Bacillus, Clostridium, and Prevotellaceae are the main microorganisms in the Xiaoqu liquor fermentation process. These results lay the foundation to improve the quality of Xiaoqu liquor.

Interleukin-22 mediates early host defense against Rhizomucor pusilluscan pathogens.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the fungal infectious disease zygomycosis has increased in incidence worldwide, especially among the immunodeficient population. Despite the rates of zygomycosis-related death and deformation being very high, the mechanism(s) by which the fungal pathogens cause these severe manifestations remain unknown. METHODS: Using the associated Rhizomucor variabilis species, which can selectively induce cutaneous zygomycosis in otherwise healthy individuals, we investigated the host mechanisms of infection-related responses, including cytokine and chemokine expression as well as contributions of particular T cell subsets. siRNA specifically targeting IL-22,IL-17 and IFN-γ were used to down-regulate expression of those molecules. RESULTS: In mouse models of infection, IL-22 was implicated in development of Rhizomucor spp.-induced skin lesions. In cultured human peripheral blood monocytes, R. pusilluscan, which is often found in immunodeficient patients, induced the production of IL-22, while R. variabilis did not. Moreover, Rhizomucor spp.-induced secretion of Il-22 from CCR6(+)CCR4(+)CCR10(+) cells was down-regulated by knockdown of IL-22 related signaling receptors, RORC and ARH. CONCLUSION: Our data strongly suggest that avoidance of IL-22 may be one mechanism by which mucor species produce morbidity and mortality in infected individuals.

Gender differences in bone density at different skeletal sites of acquisition with age in Chinese children and adolescents.

Bone mass acquisition from different genders and races of children and adolescents may vary. To explore gender- and age-related differences in bone mineral density (BMD) measurements in Chinese children and adolescents, we used the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone densitometer to take BMD measurements at the posteroanterior (PA) and lateral spine, hip, and forearm in 1286 healthy children and adolescents, ranging from 6 to 24 years of age. Our results show a correlation between BMD measurements taken from different skeletal sites and from different ages of subjects. Male data were best fit to a power regression model, yielding the largest determinant coefficients (R (2)), whereas S regression was the best fitting model for females. In individuals younger than 17 years of age, the rate of BMD accumulation in the PA spine is more rapid in females than in males, whereas in individuals older than 19 years of age, the converse was found to be true. In children younger than 14 years of age, BMD measurements, taken from the lateral spine, the neck and trochanter of the femur, and the total hip, correlated with age similarly in both genders. Additionally, in measurements taken from the forearm ultradistal and 1/3 region, BMD measurements from similar ages of both genders are similar. With increasing age, BMD measurements in males become significantly higher than those of females. However, volumetric BMD (vBMD) measurements from both genders show good uniformity at the lateral spine with a near overlap of the two models. Our findings suggest that vBMD acquisition measurements in Chinese children and adolescents show no gender differences, with gender differences only demonstrated in areal BMD (aBMD) measurements taken from different skeletal sites.