Short-time ozone treatment promotes protease-mediated destruction of B cell allergen epitopes by altering the structural characteristics of whey protein.

A novel processing method combining short-time ozone pretreatment with hydrolysis has been developed to reduce whey protein allergenicity. The results showed that ozone treatment altered the whey protein spatial structure, initially increasing the surface hydrophobicity index, and then decreasing due to polymer formation as the time increased. Under the optimized conditions of alkaline protease-mediated hydrolysis, a 10-second pre-exposure to ozone significantly promoted the reduction in the IgE binding capacity of whey protein without compromising the hydrolysis efficiency. Compared with whey protein, the degranulation of KU812 cells stimulated by this hydrolysate decreased by 20.54%, 17.99%, and 22.80% for IL-6, ß-hexosaminidase, and histamine, respectively. In vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion confirmed increased digestibility and reduced allergenicity. Peptidomics identification revealed that short-time ozonation exposed allergen epitopes, allowing alkaline protease to target these epitopes more effectively, particularly those associated with α-lactalbumin. These findings suggest the promising application of this processing method in mitigating the allergenicity of whey protein.

Lipid matrix-specific pretreatment method for enhancing the extractability and allergenicity maintenance of bovine milk allergens in ELISA detection.

The presence of various components in the food matrix makes allergen detection difficult and inaccurate, and pretreatment is an innovative breakthrough point. Food matrices were categorised based on their composition. Subsequently, a pretreatment method was established using a combination of ultrasound-assisted n-hexane degreasing and weakly alkaline extraction systems to enhance the detection accuracy of bovine milk allergens. Results showed that more allergens were obtained with less structural destruction, as demonstrated using immunological quantification and spectral analysis. Concurrently, allergenicity preservation was confirmed through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, a KU812 cell degranulation model, and western blotting. The method exhibited good accuracy (bias, 8.47%), repeatability (RSDr, 1.52%), and stability (RSDR, 5.65%). In foods with high lipid content, such as chocolate, the allergen content was 2.29-fold higher than that of commercial kits. Laser confocal scanning microscopy (LCSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed a significant decrease in fat content after post-pretreatment using our method. In addition, colloidal stability surpassed that achieved using commercial kits, as indicated through the PSA and zeta potential results. The results demonstrated the superiority of the extractability and allergenicity maintenance of lipid matrix-specific pretreatment methods for improving the accuracy of ELISA based allergen detection in real food.

Neural correlates of an illusionary sense of agency caused by virtual reality.

Sense of agency (SoA) is the sensation that self-actions lead to ensuing perceptual consequences. The prospective mechanism emphasizes that SoA arises from motor prediction and its comparison with actual action outcomes, while the reconstructive mechanism stresses that SoA emerges from retrospective causal processing about the action outcomes. Consistent with the prospective mechanism, motor planning regions were identified by neuroimaging studies using the temporal binding (TB) effect, a behavioral measure often linked to implicit SoA. Yet, TB also occurs during passive observation of another's action, lending support to the reconstructive mechanism, but its neural correlates remain unexplored. Here, we employed virtual reality (VR) to modulate such observation-based SoA and examined it with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). After manipulating an avatar hand in VR, participants passively observed an avatar's "action" and showed a significant increase in TB. The binding effect was associated with the right angular gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, which are critical nodes for inferential and agency processing. These results suggest that the experience of controlling an avatar may potentiate inferential processing within the right inferior parietal cortex and give rise to the illusionary SoA without voluntary action.

A scale to measure the worry level in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy with sedation: Development, reliability, and validity

Objective: This study aims to develop a scale to measure the worry level of patients who will undergo gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy with deep sedation, and to provide scientific references to alleviate their worries. Method: Based on literature review, panel discussion, patient interview and expert consultation, we developed the first version of the scale. After two pre-investigations, the formal version of the scale was formed, and the reliability and validity were tested on 1389 respondents. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was tested by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Spearman correlations analysis. Results: The scale was composed of four dimensions: financial and time costs, sedation, examination, and psychology. It has 15 items. Reliability and validity were acceptable. The Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale was 0.959 and all the factor loadings were > 0.50. The Spearman correlations of the inter-dimensions ranged from 0.614 to 0.836, and the correlation coefficients between the dimensions and the total score were 0.795 to 0.957. The correlation coefficient between the total scale score and the APAIS was 0.833. Conclusions: This scale has good validity and reliability, which is useful for physicians and medical institutions to take appropriate measures to reduce patients' worries. (AU)

[Effects of Organic Fertilizer Combined with Biochar on Denitrifying Microorganisms and Enzyme Activities in Orchard Soil].

To study the effects of organic fertilizer combined with biochar on soil denitrification and denitrifying microbial community structure, this study took lemon orchard soil as the research object and adopted a pot experiment, setting up five fertilization treatments:no fertilization(CK), conventional fertilization(F), organic fertilizer(P), fertilizer+biochar(FP), and organic fertilizer+biochar(PP). The abundance and community structure of denitrifying microorganisms were studied using real-time quantitative PCR and T-RFLP. Redundancy analysis(RDA) was used to explore the environmental factors affecting the denitrifying microbial community structure, and PLS-PM analysis was used to explore the environmental factors affecting the denitrification potential of lemon orchard soil. The results showed as follows:① compared with that under the single fertilizer treatment(F), the organic fertilizer and biochar(P, FP, and PP) treatments significantly increased the denitrification potential of the soil, ranging from 147.8% to 1445.3%. The denitrification rate of soil treated with organic fertilizer combined with biochar was 23.8% lower than that treated with organic fertilizer alone. ② Compared with that in the CK treatment, fertilization treatment significantly increased the abundance of nirS and nirK denitrification microorganisms. Fertilizer treatments(F and FP) significantly reduced the abundance of nosZ denitrifying microorganisms. Biochar treatment significantly changed the diversity and uniformity of denitrifying microorganisms, but the specific law and mechanism quality remained unclear. ③ The results of RDA analysis showed that fertilization could affect the community structure of nirS, nirK, and nosZ denitrifying microorganisms by changing C/N, WC, NO3--N, SOC, AK, and AP. ④ PLS-PM analysis showed that soil denitrification was positively correlated with pH and the abundance of nirK denitrification microorganisms, and NO3--N indirectly affected soil denitrification by affecting the abundance of nirK denitrification microorganisms. In addition, the nirK microbial community was the dominant microbial community in soil denitrification in lemon orchards. In conclusion, organic fertilizer directly affected soil denitrification by regulating soil pH, whereas regulating NO3--N content affected nirK denitrification microbial abundance, indirectly affecting soil denitrification. The application of organic fertilizer combined with biochar could slow down the improvement of soil denitrification caused by single application of organic fertilizer, which is more suitable for promotion in orchards in this region.

[Response of Nitrification Potential and Ammonia Oxidation Microbial Community in Purple Soils to the Application of Biochar Combined with Chemical Fertilizer and Manure].

The effects of manure and chemical fertilizer combined with biochar on nitrification potential and ammonia oxidation microbial change characteristics of purple soils were studied to explore the effects of fertilization measures and soil environmental factors on nitrification potential and ammonia oxidation microbial change characteristics. In this study, purple soil was taken as the research object, and five treatments were set up:no fertilizer(CK), chemical fertilizer(F), manure(P), chemical fertilizer plus biochar(FP), and manure plus biochar(PP). PCR and T-RFLP methods were used to study the characteristics of soil AOA and AOB communities, and soil nitrification potential and environmental factors were measured at the same time to determine the effect of manure combined with biochar on the nitrification potential of purple soil. The results showed that:① compared with that in the CK treatment, the FP and PP treatments significantly increased soil nitrification potential(P<0.05). ② Compared with that in the CK treatment, the F, P, FP, and PP treatments significantly increased the number of copies of the AOA amoA gene in the soil by 78.17%-162.22%(P<0.05), and the F, FP, and PP treatments significantly increased the number of copies of the AOB amoA gene by 21.56%-78.32%(P<0.05). ③ Compared with that in the CK treatment, the PP treatment significantly improved the Shannon, richness, and evenness indices of the soil AOA community(P<0.05), and the combination of biochar(FP and PP treatments) could change the community structure of the soil AOB. ④ The chemical fertilizer and manure affected the AOA and AOB community structure by changing soil properties such as pH, TP, AP, C/N, SOM, NO3--N, and NH4+-N. ⑤ Stepwise regression analysis further showed that AOB amoA gene abundance was the main factor affecting soil nitrification potential. Therefore, under the condition that chemical fertilizer and manure were applied together with biochar, the AOB community was the main driver of the ammonia oxidation process in acidic purple soil, and fertilization affected the ammonia oxidation process by regulating C/N and NO3--N.

A scale to measure the worry level in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy with sedation: Development, reliability, and validity.

Objective: This study aims to develop a scale to measure the worry level of patients who will undergo gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy with deep sedation, and to provide scientific references to alleviate their worries. Method: Based on literature review, panel discussion, patient interview and expert consultation, we developed the first version of the scale. After two pre-investigations, the formal version of the scale was formed, and the reliability and validity were tested on 1389 respondents. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was tested by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Spearman correlations analysis. Results: The scale was composed of four dimensions: financial and time costs, sedation, examination, and psychology. It has 15 items. Reliability and validity were acceptable. The Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale was 0.959 and all the factor loadings were > 0.50. The Spearman correlations of the inter-dimensions ranged from 0.614 to 0.836, and the correlation coefficients between the dimensions and the total score were 0.795 to 0.957. The correlation coefficient between the total scale score and the APAIS was 0.833. Conclusions: This scale has good validity and reliability, which is useful for physicians and medical institutions to take appropriate measures to reduce patients' worries.

[Effect of Chemical Fertilizer and Manure Combined with Biochar on Denitrification Potential and Denitrifying Bacterial Community in Rhizosphere Soil].

To clarify the effect of chemical fertilizer and manure combined with biochar on denitrifying microorganisms and denitrification potential of rhizosphere soil, a pot experiment growing lemon was conducted involving five treatments, namely no fertilization (CK), chemical fertilizer (CF), manure (M), chemical fertilizer combined with biochar (CFBC), and manure combined with biochar (MBC). We determined the characteristics of the rhizosphere soil nirS-, nirK-, and nosZ-type denitrifying bacteria populations; denitrification potential; and soil environmental factors to clarify the effects of chemical and manure combined with biochar on denitrification. Our results showed that compared with that in CK, the CF treatment reduced the rhizosphere soil denitrification potential by 47.7%, whereas the M and MBC treatments increased the denitrification potential by 2192.7% and 1989.9%, respectively. The M and MBC treatments increased the gene copy number of nirS and nosZ, the CF and CFBC treatments decreased the gene copy number of nirS and nosZ, and all four fertilization treatments increased the gene copy number of nirK. Stepwise regression analysis showed that pH was the main factor for the abundance of nirS-type denitrifying bacteria and SOM and NH+4-N were the main factors for the abundance of nirK-type denitrifying bacteria, whereas pH, NO-3-N, and N/P were main factors for the abundance of nosZ-type denitrifying bacteria. The results of partial least squares analysis indicated that the abundance of nirS-and nosZ-type denitrifying bacteria, pH, TN, and N/P were the main factors affecting rhizosphere denitrification potential. Therefore, in acidic purple soil, nirS- and nosZ-type denitrifying bacteria were the main drivers of the soil denitrification process in lemon rhizospheres under chemical fertilizer and pig manure combined with biochar, whereas fertilizer affected the rhizosphere soil denitrification process by regulating soil pH, TN, and N/P.

Development of a Two-Step Hydrolysis Hypoallergenic Cow's Milk Formula and Evaluation of Residue Allergenicity by Peptidomics and Immunoreactivity Analysis.

Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is an abnormal immune response that severely affects the nutritional supplementation of allergic infants. Currently, only a limited number of hypoallergenic formulas are available on the market, and these are only categorized according to their degree of hydrolysis, which still poses an allergy risk and cannot be consumed by CMA patients, especially infants. To address this issue, we developed a two-step hydrolysis hypoallergenic formula targeting destruction of allergen epitope from whey protein. Then, a comprehensive evaluation system was constructed, including peptidomics analysis, in vivo and in vitro allergenicity assessments, revealing allergic changes in the product from the epitope structure level to the immunological level. The results showed that 97.14% of hydrolyzed peptides from α-lactalbumin and ß-lactoglobulin did not contain allergenic epitopes after treatment with trypsin and flavourzyme. In vitro and in vivo allergenicity assessment results confirmed that the two-step hydrolysis method effectively reduced the allergenicity of whey protein. Compared with the common milk powder, the hypoallergenic formula induced lower levels of basophil degranulation and relieved the body's anaphylactic symptoms caused by cow milk. This study provides a promising solution to the limited hypoallergenic formula problem and may benefit allergic infants who require nutritional supplements.

Combined genome-wide association study of 136 quantitative ear morphology traits in multiple populations reveal 8 novel loci.

Human ear morphology, a complex anatomical structure represented by a multidimensional set of correlated and heritable phenotypes, has a poorly understood genetic architecture. In this study, we quantitatively assessed 136 ear morphology traits using deep learning analysis of digital face images in 14,921 individuals from five different cohorts in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Through GWAS meta-analysis and C-GWASs, a recently introduced method to effectively combine GWASs of many traits, we identified 16 genetic loci involved in various ear phenotypes, eight of which have not been previously associated with human ear features. Our findings suggest that ear morphology shares genetic determinants with other surface ectoderm-derived traits such as facial variation, mono eyebrow, and male pattern baldness. Our results enhance the genetic understanding of human ear morphology and shed light on the shared genetic contributors of different surface ectoderm-derived phenotypes. Additionally, gene editing experiments in mice have demonstrated that knocking out the newly ear-associated gene (Intu) and a previously ear-associated gene (Tbx15) causes deviating mouse ear morphology.

Construction of tea tree oil/salicylic acid/palygorskite hybrids for advanced antibacterial and anti-inflammatory performance.

This study describes the construction of a tailor-made clay-based hybrid with advanced dermocompatibility, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory performance by incorporating tunable ratios of tea tree oil (TTO) and salicylic acid (SA) into the naturally occurring porous structure of palygorskite (Pal). Among the three TTO/SA/Pal (TSP) systems constructed, TSP-1 with a TTO : SA ratio of 1 : 3 demonstrated the lowest 3T3 NRU predicted acute oral toxicity and dermal HaCaT cytotoxicity as well as the most pronounced antibacterial activity with a selective inhibitory action against the pathogens (E. coli, P. acnes and S. aureus) over the beneficial (S. epdermidis) species inhabiting on the human skin. Also noticeable is that exposure of these skin commensal bacteria to TSP-1 prevented the antimicrobial resistance evolution compared to the conventional antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Mechanistic investigation of its antibacterial modes of action revealed a synergy between the TTO and SA loadings on the Pal supports in reactive oxygen production, causing oxidative damage to bacterial cell membranes and increased leakage of intracellular compounds. Additionally, TSP-1 significantly decreased the proinflammatory cytokines of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in a bacterial lipopolysaccharide-stimulated differentiated THP-1 macrophage model, showing the potential to inhibit inflammatory responses in bacterial infections. Overall, this is the first report exploring the potential of constructing clay-based organic-inorganic hybrids as alternatives to antibiotics to combat bacterial resistance with advanced compatibility and anti-inflammatory benefits that are desired for the development of topically applied biopharmaceuticals.

[Effects of Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Substitute with Organic Fertilizer on Soil Functional Microbes and Lemon Yield and Quality].

To clarify the effects of non-rhizosphere/rhizosphere soil functional microbes (nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms) on lemon yield and quality, the lemon fruit and non-rhizosphere/rhizosphere soil were selected as subjects. To explore the correlation between non-rhizosphere/rhizosphere soil functional microbes and lemon yield and quality under a chemical fertilizer reduction substitute with organic fertilizer, traditional fruit quality determination and multiple molecular techniques were used. The results showed that:① 30% chemical fertilizer reduction substitute with organic fertilizer increased the nitrification intensity and phosphatase activity but effectively controlled the denitrifying enzyme activity. ② The chemical fertilizer reduction substitute with organic fertilizer significantly decreased the abundances of nitrifiers and nirS/nirK-harboring denitrifiers and significantly increased the abundances of nosZ-harboring denitrifier and phoD-harboring microorganisms. However, the diversities of functional microbial community structure did not have clear regularity under chemical fertilizer reduction substitute with organic fertilizer. ③ Compared with that under the application of chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizer alone, lemon yield and quality were the highest under the 30% reduction of chemical fertilizer substitute with organic fertilizer. ④ Nitrogen and its related microbes significantly affected lemon yield through internal and external quality. Phosphorus and its related microbes affected lemon yield mainly through internal quality. In addition, the influence factors of non-rhizosphere soil and rhizosphere soil on lemon intrinsic quality were obviously different. Altogether, these results showed that the 30% reduction of chemical fertilizer substitute with organic fertilizer significantly affected soil nitrogen and phosphorus functional microorganisms and further improved lemon yield and quality.

[Effects of Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Combined with Organic Fertilizer Application on Bacterial Community Structure in Rhizosphere/Non-Rhizosphere Soil of Lemon].

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of different fertilization methods on the physicochemical properties and bacterial community structure of lemon rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere soil in order to provide theoretical basis for scientific and rational fertilization of orchards. A pot experiment was carried out, and six fertilization treatments were set up:control (CK), conventional fertilization (FM), organic fertilizer (P), fresh organic fertilizer (NP), 70% chemical fertilizer+30% organic fertilizer (70FP), and 50% chemical fertilizer+50% organic fertilizer (50FP). Chemical analysis, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to study the effects of different fertilization treatments on the physicochemical properties of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, the abundance of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, and bacterial community structure. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to explore the environmental factors affecting the bacterial community structure of lemon rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere soil. The results showed the following:① the pH and contents of organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, and nitrate nitrogen in rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere soil were significantly increased by reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer and applying organic fertilizer (50FP and 70FP) (P<0.05). Compared with conventional fertilization (FM) and single application of organic fertilizer (P and NP), the soil available P content, available K content, and nitrate nitrogen content increased by 24.76%-97.98%, 6.87%-45.11%, and 18.42%-55.82%, respectively. ② Fertilizer reduction combined with organic fertilizer significantly increased the abundance of soil bacteria and soil respiration intensity (P<0.05), and the abundance of soil rhizosphere bacteria and soil respiration intensity under the 50FP treatment increased by 15.83%-232.98% and 8.0%-162.5% compared with that under conventional fertilization and organic fertilizer alone, respectively. The bacterial abundance of rhizosphere soil was positively correlated with the pH and contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. ③ The PCoA and RDA analysis results showed that the single organic fertilizer and organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer de-weighting of rhizosphere bacterial community structure and not adding fertilizer had a bigger difference between processing, and the main environmental factors influencing the rhizosphere/non rhizosphere bacterial community structure were organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, alkali solution nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and available potassium. Fertilizer reduction combined with organic fertilizer could significantly increase soil nutrient content, increase soil bacterial abundance, and change the bacterial community structure of rhizosphere soil, and the 50FP treatment yielded better results. Therefore, 50% Chemical fertilizer+50% organic fertilizer (50FP) was a better fertilization method to improve the physical and chemical properties of orchard soil, increase the abundance of soil bacteria, and improve the soil respiration intensity.

Gravity matters for the neural representations of action semantics.

The dynamic relationship between the neural representation of action word semantics and specific sensorimotor experience remains controversial. Here, we temporarily altered human subjects' sensorimotor experience in a 15-day head-down tilt bed rest setting, a ground-based analog of microgravity that disproportionally affects sensorimotor experiences of the lower limbs, and examined whether such effector-dependent activity deprivation specifically affected the neural processes of comprehending verbs of lower-limb actions (e.g. to kick) relative to upper-limb ones (e.g. to pinch). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared the multivoxel neural patterns for such action words prior to and after bed rest. We found an effector-specific (lower vs. upper limb) experience modulation in subcortical sensorimotor-related and anterior temporal regions. The neural action semantic representations in other effector-specific verb semantic regions (e.g. left lateral posterior temporal cortex) and motor execution regions were robust against such experience alterations. These effector-specific, sensorimotor-experience-sensitive and experience-independent patterns of verb neural representation highlight the multidimensional and dynamic nature of semantic neural representation, and the broad influence of microgravity (hence gravity) environment on cognition.

Combining genome-wide association studies highlight novel loci involved in human facial variation.

Standard genome-wide association studies (GWASs) rely on analyzing a single trait at a time. However, many human phenotypes are complex and composed by multiple correlated traits. Here we introduce C-GWAS, a method for combining GWAS summary statistics of multiple potentially correlated traits. Extensive computer simulations demonstrated increased statistical power of C-GWAS compared to the minimal p-values of multiple single-trait GWASs (MinGWAS) and the current state-of-the-art method for combining single-trait GWASs (MTAG). Applying C-GWAS to a meta-analysis dataset of 78 single trait facial GWASs from 10,115 Europeans identified 56 study-wide suggestively significant loci with multi-trait effects on facial morphology of which 17 are novel loci. Using data from additional 13,622 European and Asian samples, 46 (82%) loci, including 9 (53%) novel loci, were replicated at nominal significance with consistent allele effects. Functional analyses further strengthen the reliability of our C-GWAS findings. Our study introduces the C-GWAS method and makes it available as computationally efficient open-source R package for widespread future use. Our work also provides insights into the genetic architecture of human facial appearance.

Recent Advancements in Natural Plant Colorants Used for Hair Dye Applications: A Review.

There is an on-going demand in recent years for safer and "greener" hair coloring agents with the global consumer awareness of the adverse effects of synthetic hair dyes. The belief in sustainability and health benefits has focused the attention of the scientific community towards natural colorants that serve to replace their synthetic toxic counterparts. This review article encompasses the historical applications of a vast array of natural plant hair dyes and summarizes the possible coloration mechanisms (direct dyeing and mordant dyeing). Current information on phytochemicals (quinones, tannins, flavonoids, indigo, curcuminoids and carotenoids) used for hair dyeing are summarized, including their botanical sources, color chemistry and biological/toxicological activities. A particular focus is given on research into new natural hair dye sources along with eco-friendly, robust and cost-effective technologies for their processing and applications, such as the synthetic biology approach for colorant production, encapsulation techniques for stabilization and the development of inorganic nanocarriers. In addition, innovative in vitro approaches for the toxicological assessments of natural hair dye cosmetics are highlighted.

Allergenicity evaluation of peptides from milk and yogurt after gastrointestinal digestion based on epitopes.

As we know, milk and yogurt have good nutritional value and it is reported that some peptides can induce tolerance to alleviate or eliminate cow's milk allergy (CMA). However, there is a lack of detailed information on the peptides after digestion which could induce tolerance. In this study, the distribution pattern of digested proteins was detected during gastrointestinal digestion in infants and adults by Tricine-SDS-PAGE and RP-HPLC, and the digestive products were transported by the model of Caco-2 cells and the sequence of peptides was identified by LC-MS/MS. Residual allergenicity was evaluated by indirect ELISA during gastrointestinal digestion and the released peptides were aligned with T cell/IgE epitopes and biological functions by prediction software and previous information. These results indicated that the major allergens in yogurt were more easily digested with stronger transport capacity and had lower IgE-binding capacity. We obtained 113 peptides from the major allergens in the digested products and 38 of these peptides existed in all the digested products, among which 13 peptides had specific biological functions, such as ACE-inhibitory, antimicrobial and DPP-IV inhibitory properties. Although there was no obvious difference in the number of epitopes between fresh milk and yogurt, the difference in the properties and content of specific peptides might be the key factor for the difference in allergenicity. Most importantly, 11 peptides that contained T cell epitopes but not IgE epitopes might induce immune tolerance in CMA, which should be confirmed further.

Identification of immunoglobulin E epitopes on major allergens from dairy products after digestion and transportation in vitro.

Dairy processing can alter the digestion stability and bioavailability of cow milk proteins in the gastrointestinal tract. However, analysis of stable linear epitopes on cow milk allergens that could enter into intestinal mucosal is limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the digestion and transportation properties and residual allergen epitopes entering into gastrointestinal mucosa of 3 commercial dairy products, including pasteurized milk (PM), ultra-heat-treated milk (UHTM), and dried skim milk (DSM). In this work, the digestive stability of the 3 kinds of dairy products has been performed in a standard multistep static digestion model in vitro and characterized by Tricine-SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reversed-phase HPLC. With respect to gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, the main allergens including ß-lactoglobulin (ß-LG), α-lactalbumin (α-LA), and caseins were degraded gradually, and the resistance peptides remained in the PM with a molecular weight of range from 3.4 to 5.0 kDa. Simultaneously, the potential allergenicity of the cow milk proteins was diminished gradually and is basically consistent after 60 min of gastrointestinal digestion. After gastrointestinal digestion, the remaining peptides were transported via an Ussing chamber and identified by liquid chromatography-MS/MS. By alignment, 10 epitopes peptides were identified from 16 stable peptides, including 5 peptides (AA 92-100, 125-135, 125-138, and 149-162) in ß-LG, 2 peptides in α-LA (AA 80-93 and 63-79), 2 peptides in αS1-casein (AA 84-90 and 125-132), and 1 peptide (AA 25-32) in αS2-casein were identified by dot-blotting mainly exist in UHTM and PM. This study demonstrates dairy processing can affect the digestion and transport characteristics of milk proteins and in turn alter epitope peptides release.

Fibrous Clays in Dermopharmaceutical and Cosmetic Applications: Traditional and Emerging Perspectives.

Functionalization of natural clay minerals for high value-added pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications receives significant research attention worldwide attributable to a rising demand and ongoing search for green, efficient, economically sustainable and ecofriendly geomaterials. Fibrous clays, i.e. palygorskite and sepiolite, are naturally-occurring hydrated magnesium aluminum silicate clay minerals with 2:1 layer-chain microstructure and one-dimensional nanofibrous morphology. Due to their unique structural, textural and compatibility features, over the past decade, fibrous clays and their organic modified derivatives are increasingly used in the dermopharmaceutical and cosmetic fields as excipients, active agents or nanocarriers to develop novel skin delivery systems or to modify drug release profile for enhanced health effects. This comprehensive review presents the up-to-date information on fibrous clays used in topically-applied products for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes with the focus on their performance-related structural characteristics and the underlying mechanisms. The recent advancement of fibrous clay-based skin delivery systems was summarized in wide range of applications including pelotherapy, wound healing, antimicrobial action, coloration and UV protection. An overview of the commonly used topically-applied dosage forms (powders, hydrogels, films, peloids and Pickering emulsion) as well as the toxicological aspects was also included, which might provide guidance to the design and development of fibrous clay-based skin delivery systems.