Preparation and characterization of zein-caseinate-pectin complex nanoparticles for encapsulation of curcumin: pectin extracted by high-speed shearing from passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) peel.

BACKGROUND: Pectin extracted by high-speed shearing from passion fruit peel (HSSP) is a potentially excellent wall material for encapsulating curcumin, which has multiple advantages over pectin prepared by heated water extraction. HSSP was used to fabricate complex nanoparticles of zein-sodium caseinate-pectin for encapsulation of curcumin in this study. The influence of heating on the physicochemical properties of the composite nanoparticles was also investigated, as well as the effect of composite nanoparticles on the encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant activity and release characteristics of curcumin. RESULTS: The nanoparticles were formed through electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions between the proteins and HSSP. A temperature of 50 °C was more favorable for generating compact and small-sized nanoparticles, which could effectively improve the encapsulation efficiency and functional properties. Moreover, compared to other pectin used in the study, the nanoparticles prepared with HSSP showed the best functionality with a particle size of 234.28 ± 0.85 nm, encapsulation rate of 90.22 ± 0.54%, free radical scavenging rate of 78.97% and strongest protective capacity in simulated gastric fluid and intestinal release effect. CONCLUSION: Zein-sodium caseinate-HSSP is effective for encapsulating and delivering hydrophobic bioactive substances such as curcumin, which has potential applications in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Efficacy of ornidazole for pericoronitis: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Introduction: Timely and effective treatments of pericoronitis are very important. We aimed to evaluate the role of ornidazole in the treatment of pericoronitis, to provide insights for clinical pericoronitis treatment. Material and methods: The PubMed, Clinical trials, EMBASE, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu and Wanfang databases were searched to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ornidazole in the treatment of pericoronitis from the establishment of the database to March 15, 2023. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Results: A total of 16 RCTs involving 2004 patients were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the effective rate of ornidazole treatment was significantly higher than that of the routine treatment group (RR = 1.22, 95% CI (1.15, 1.29), p < 0.001). Ornidazole treatment was beneficial to reduce the oral bacterial density (MD = -26.13, 95% CI (-32.08, -21.51)), time to pain disappearance (MD = -0.64, 95% CI (-0.92, -0.17)) and time to disappearance of redness and swelling of the teeth crown (MD = -1.45, 95% CI (-2.43, -1.01)) compared to the routine treatment (all p = 0.05). No publication bias was found by the funnel plots and Egger test (p = 0.206). Conclusions: Ornidazole is effective in the treatment of pericoronitis, with more advantages. Still, the effects and safety of ornidazole in the treatment of pericoronitis need to be evaluated by more high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes.

Screening plasma metabolites as potential biomarkers for type B aortic dissection.

Background: Aortic dissection (AD) is a serious aortic disease. Although current imaging methods can provide accurate diagnosis for AD, they do not include essential biological information. The aim of this study is to identify plasma metabolites for the risk and severity of type B AD (TBAD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 16 hypertensive patients with TBAD and 7 hypertensive patients without TBAD in Jieyang People's Hospital between December 2021 and April 2022. After plasma metabolomics analysis, a metabolites risk score (MRS) model was conducted through logistic regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to predict the risk of TBAD. Subsequently, TBAD group was divided into uncomplicated and complicated TBAD subgroups for further screening for metabolites related to the severity of TBAD. Results: Three metabolites, including 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol, D-(+)-sucrose and PC(O-16:0/0:0) were related to the risk of TBAD. Compared to hypertensive patients without TBAD, the abundance of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol and D-(+)-sucrose were significantly increased while PC(O-16:0/0:0) was significantly reduced in hypertensive patients with TBAD (P<0.001). We subsequently built an MRS model based on these three metabolites. Furthermore, we found that hydrocinnamic acid (r=0.741, P<0.001) was independently correlated with the TBAD severity, while glycine deoxycholic acid (r=-0.538, P=0.008) and glycochenodeoxycholic acid (r=-0.538, P=0.008) were inversely correlated with the TBAD severity independently. Conclusions: The present study screened out three plasma metabolites associated with the risk of TBAD, constructed an MRS model, and identified three metabolites that were independently associated with the severity of TBAD. These findings may serve to identify more TBAD-related biomarkers and shed light on exploring potential mechanisms of TBAD.

Optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant design with consideration of uncertainty.

A newly developed model for the optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) design is presented. Through introducing the interval variables, the model attempts to consider the effects of uncertainties caused by the fluctuation of the wastewater quality and quantity during the design of MWTP. The model solution procedure is illustrated in detail, and a numerical example is given to verify the feasibility and advantage of the model. Furthermore, the possibility of the model application is briefly outlined.