[Molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental test].

This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiment. The active components and targets of Ganoderma were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and gastric cancer-related targets from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed with STRING, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the common genes based on Bioconductor and R language. The medicinal-disease-component-target network and medicinal-disease-component-target-pathway network were established by Cytoscape. Molecular docking was performed between ß-sitosterol(the key component in Ganoderma) and the top 15 targets in the PPI network. Cell experiment was performed to verify the findings. A total of 14 active components and 28 targets of Ganoderma were retrieved, and the medicinal and the disease shared 25 targets, including caspase-3(CASP3), caspase-8(CASP8), caspase-9(CASP9), and B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2). The common targets involved 72 signaling pathways and apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway may play a crucial role in the effect of Ganoderma against gastric cancer. ß-sitosterol had strong binding activity to the top 15 targets in the PPI network. The in vitro cell experiment demonstrated that ß-sitosterol inhibited gastric cancer AGS cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase, which might be related to the regulation of the p53 pathway. This study shows the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of Ganoderma against gastric cancer, which lays a scientific basis for further research on the molecular mechanism.

Bioactive peptides identified from enzymatic hydrolysates of sturgeon skin.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies demonstrate that fish byproducts can be used as sources of bioactive peptides for functional foods. Sturgeon skin contains abundant proteins but it has commonly been discarded during sturgeon processing. The objective of the present work was to identify and characterize the bioactive peptides from protein hydrolysates of sturgeon skin. RESULTS: Sturgeon skin protein extract (SKPE) hydrolyzed by flavourzyme for 60 min exhibited high antioxidant activity, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. The sequences of peptides from flavourzyme hydrolysates were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Gly-Asp-Arg-Gly-Glu-Ser-Gly-Pro-Ala (P1) showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (DPPH IC50  = 1.93 mmol L-1 ). Gly-Pro-Ala-Gly-Glu-Arg-Gly-Glu-Gly-Gly-Pro-Arg (P11) (DPP-IV IC50  = 2.14 mmol L-1 ) and Ser-Pro-Gly-Pro-Asp-Gly-Lys-Thr-Gly-Pro-Arg (P12) (DPP-IV IC50  = 2.61 mmol L-1 ) exhibited the strongest DPP-IV inhibitory activity. Gly-Pro-Pro-Gly-Ala-Asp-Gly-Gln-Ala-Gly-Ala-Lys (P6) displayed the highest ACE inhibitory activity (ACE IC50  = 3.77 mmol L-1 ). The molecular docking analysis revealed that DPP-IV inhibition of P11 and P12 are mainly attributed to hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, whereas ACE inhibition of P6 is mainly attributed to strong hydrogen bonds. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that SKPE hydrolysates generated by flavourzyme are potential sources of bioactive peptides that could be used in the health food industry. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Mathematical model of postharvest variation in tomato color based on optimized response surface methodology.

BACKGROUND: Manual inspection and instrumentation form the traditional approach to determining tomato color but these methods only determine tomato color at a given moment and cannot predict dynamically how tomato color varies during storage and transportation. Such methods thus cannot help suppliers and retailers establish good management practices for the flexible control of tomato maturity, accurate judgment of market positioning in the industry, or during distribution and marketing. To address this shortcoming, this work first investigates how tomato color parameters (a* and h°) evolve through the various stages of maturity (green, turn, and light red) under different storage conditions. Based on experimental results, it develops an optimized response-surface model (RSM) by using differential evolution to predict how tomato color varies during storage. RESULTS: Tomatoes are more likely to change color at high temperatures and under conditions of high humidity. Temperature affects tomato color more strongly than humidity. The accuracy of the RSM was confirmed by a good agreement with experiments. All determination coefficients R2 of the RSMs for a* and h° are greater than 0.91. The mean absolute errors for a* and h° are 3.8112 and 5.6500, respectively. The root mean square errors for a* and h° are 4.6840 and 6.9198, respectively. CONCLUSION: This research reveals how storage temperature and humidity affect the postharvest variations in tomato color and thus establishes a dynamic model for predicting tomato color. The proposed RSM provides a reliable theoretical foundation for dynamic, nondestructive monitoring of tomato ripeness in the cold chain. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Research progress on mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of acupuncture].

Bidirectional regulation is one of the key function of acupuncture. The stimulator, mediator and receptor are the basis while the specificity of acupoints and the multi-target regulation of receptors receiving stimulation signals are the essential link of the bidirectional regulation of acupuncture. The possible mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of acupuncture are discussed in 4 aspects, i.e. homeostasis mechanism, stress reaction, central adaptive regulation and autonomic nerve regulation. Knowing the limitations of bidirectional regulation and exploring suitable researchmethods are proposed to be the key points in future researches.

Biomechanical analysis of the clinical characteristics of enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome with Mondini malformation.

BACKGROUND: numerous researches on the pathological mechanism of Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA) syndrome mainly focuses on the genetic characteristics of SLC26A4 gene and the function of its encoding protein, Pendrin. One of the limitations with these explanations is that it does not explain why cerebrospinal fluid pressure can affect clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVES: To establish a new approach to explain the clinical manifestations of EVA syndrome with biomechanical method. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 108 cases of EVA syndrome who received cochlear implantation were analyzed retrospectively. A cochlear model was built to reflect the differences of the structure in EVA syndrome with or without Mondini malformation. The CFD software was used to simulate and display the differences in mechanical pathogenic factors to which the model was subjected. RESULTS: EVA syndrome patients with Mondini malformation suffer more mechanical damage from the cerebrospinal fluid pressure due to their structural reason and their symptoms appear earlier and progress faster. CONCLUSIONS: Biomechanics is an important aspect of pathological mechanism of EVA syndrome, and it provides a new angle for clinical decision-making.

[Effect of manual acupuncture of "Shuigou" (GV26)"Neiguan" (PC6) on neurological function and expression of apoptosis-related factors in brain tissues surrounding hematoma in intracerebral hemorrhage rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of manual acupuncture stimulation of "Shuigou" (GV26) and "Neiguan" (PC6) on neurological function and expression of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in brain tissues around the intracerebral hematoma in rats with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), so as to explore its possible mechanisms underlying improvement of ICH. METHODS: Ninety-six male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, model, acupoint and non-acupoint (24 rats in each group). The ICH model was established by injection of the rat's autologous blood into the caudate nucleus. According to the time-points of 6, 24, 48 and 72 h after ICH, each of the 4 groups was further divided into 4 subgroups. For rats of the acupoint group, the PC6 on both sides was manually stimulated by manipulating the needle with lifting-thrusting-twisting reducing techniques, while the GV26 was stimulated with strong "sparrow-pecking" method for 10 times, then, left the needles in the acupoints for 30 min. For rats of the non-acupoint group, two non-acupoints: mid-spot below the bilateral axilla and the spot 3 mm above the left side of the coccyx tip were stimulated with the same methods to PC6 and GV26, respectively. For rats of the 6 h and 24 h subgroups, the intervention was given once after waking up from modeling, and for those of the 48 and 72 h subgroups, the intervention was conducted once a day for 2 or 3 times, respectively. The neurological severity score (NSS) was used to evaluate the degree of neurological function. The immunoactivity (expression) of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins of the hematoma focus of the brain was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Following modeling, the NSS and the expression levels of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins in the brain tissues surrounding the hematoma at each time-points (6, 24, 48 and 72h) after modeling were significantly increased in the model group relevant to the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the NSS at 72h and the expression levels of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins at 6, 24, 48 and 72h were significantly down-regulated in the acupoint group (P<0.05) rather than in the non-acupoint group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture of GV26 and PC6 can improve the neurological function in rats with ICH, which may be related to its function in reducing the expression of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins (apoptosis-related proteins) in the brain.

Inner ear structure of miniature pigs measured by multi-planar reconstruction techniques.

To study the structures of the scala vestibuli and tympani of miniature pigs in order to evaluate the feasibility of using miniature pigs as the animal model for cochlear implant. The temporal bones of three miniature pigs with normal hearing were scanned by micro-CT. With the aid of the Mimics software, we reconstructed the 3D structure of inner ear basing on the serial images of the miniature pig, and obtained dimensions of the scala vestibuli and tympani with multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) technique. The constructed slicing images displayed the fine structures of the cochlea. The results of our study showed that the cross-sectional areas of the scala tympani were greatest at 2.67 ± 0.90 mm2 when the circumferential length from the starting point of basal turn of the cochlea reached to 1.16 mm. The scala vestibuli has a largest width and height at the starting point of basal turn. The width and the height were 2.65 ± 0.45 mm and 2.43 ± 0.2 mm respectively. The largest width and height of the scala tympani were 2.17 ± 0.30 mm and 1.83 ± 0.42 mm. The result of our study suggests that the cochlea of miniature pigs is highly consistent with human's. Miniature pigs may be used as a new model for cochlear implant. MPR technique may be used as a new approach to obtain further information of patient's cochlea in surgeons which is helpful to select suitable cochlear implant devices and surgery approach.

Food Packaging: A Comprehensive Review and Future Trends.

Innovations in food packaging systems will help meet the evolving needs of the market, such as consumer preference for "healthy" and high-quality food products and reduction of the negative environmental impacts of food packaging. Emerging concepts of active and intelligent packaging technologies provide numerous innovative solutions for prolonging shelf-life and improving the quality and safety of food products. There are also new approaches to improving the passive characteristics of food packaging, such as mechanical strength, barrier performance, and thermal stability. The development of sustainable or green packaging has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of food packaging through the use of edible or biodegradable materials, plant extracts, and nanomaterials. Active, intelligent, and green packaging technologies can work synergistically to yield a multipurpose food-packaging system with no negative interactions between components, and this aim can be seen as the ultimate future goal for food packaging technology. This article reviews the principles of food packaging and recent developments in different types of food packaging technologies. Global patents and future research trends are also discussed.