Customized development of 3D printed anthocyanin-phycocyanin polychromatic oral film via chondroitin sulfate homeostasis: A platform based on starch and κ-carrageenan.

The development of oral film with diverse colors and customized nutrition is in line with the innovation of emerging food. In this study, polychromatic system was formed by regulating the ratio of phycocyanin (PC) to blueberry anthocyanin (BA). Further, chondroitin sulfate (CS) was utilized to achieve color-enhanced and homeostatic effects on PC-BA, and κ-carrageenan (KC) - starch complex was exploited as printing ink to construct oral film system. The color-enhanced effect of CS is mainly related to the complexation of sulfate groups, and the film-forming substrates are combined mainly through hydrogen bonding. In addition, the proportion of KC modulated the gel structure of printing ink, and affected 3D printability and physical properties of oral film. OF II (1.5 % KC content) had a uniform and dense network structure, with the most stable color and the highest BA retention (70.33 %) after 8 d of light exposure. Importantly, OF II had an excellent slow-release effect, and BA release rate was as high as 92.52 %. The optimized components can form polychromatic oral film with controllable color and structure, and provide new insights for the creation of sensory personalized and nutritionally customized food.

In vitro fermentation characteristics of blueberry anthocyanins and their impacts on gut microbiota from obese human.

It has been demonstrated that the gut microbiota may play an important intermediary role in anthocyanins' beneficial impacts on obesity. However, the microbe-related anti-obesity mechanism of blueberry anthocyanins remains unclear. In this study, the interactions between blueberry anthocyanin extracts (BAE) and gut microbiota from obese humans were explored using an in vitro fermentation model. Due to hydrolysis and metabolism by the microbiota, the contents of blueberry anthocyanins are reduced during fermentation. It was demonstrated that both aglycones and glycosides affected the degradation rate. The microbial composition evaluation revealed that BAE could alleviate obesity by promoting the colonization of probiotics such as Lachnospiraceae_UCG-004 and Bacteroides, as well as inhibiting the proliferation of harmful bacteria including Escherichia-Shigella, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Klebsiella. Blueberry anthocyanin extracts facilitate the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which is beneficial for obesity control. The relationship between blueberry anthocyanins, gut microbiota, and SCFAs was further investigated. Overall, this data provides new insights into the positive interaction between blueberry anthocyanins and gut microbiota in obese humans.

Gastrointestinal fate of blueberry anthocyanins in ferritin-based nanocarriers.

Blueberries contain an important amount of anthocyanins, which possess numerous biological properties. Nonetheless, the potential applications of anthocyanins may be constrained due to their limited stability and bioavailability. This study aimed to evaluate the stability and absorption of blueberry anthocyanin extracts (BAE) and anthocyanin standards (malvidin and cyanidin glycosides) when encapsulated using ferritin (FR) nanocarriers or a combination of FR and sodium alginate (SA) under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and Caco-2 cell monolayers. These results indicate that the use of FR nanocarriers resulted in an extended-release of anthocyanins during simulated digestion. Particularly, it was observed that after a period of 2 h in the intestinal phase, the anthocyanin concentration in BAE was greater (38.01 µg/mL, P < 0.05) when FR nanocarriers were employed, in comparison to untreated BAE (4.12 µg/mL). Furthermore, outcomes obtained from the Caco-2 cell monolayer assay revealed that FR-anthocyanin encapsulation resulted in substantially higher (P < 0.05) absorption rates ranging from 25.09 to 44.59 % compared to untreated anthocyanins (10.61-22.95 %). These findings provide evidence of an innovative approach for enhancing the stability and bioavailability of blueberry anthocyanins.

Investigation on the interaction mechanisms for stability of preheated whey protein isolate with anthocyanins from blueberry.

Proteins and anthocyanins coexist in complex food systems. This research mainly studied the steady-state protective design and mechanism of the preheated protein against anthocyanins. Multispectral and molecular dynamics are utilized to illustrate the interaction mechanism between preheated whey protein isolate (pre-WPI) and anthocyanins. The pre-WPI could effectively protect the stability of anthocyanins, and the effect was better than that of the natural whey protein isolate (NW). Among them, NW after preheating treatment at 55 °C showed better protection against anthocyanin stability. Fluorescence studies indicated that pre-WPI there existed a solid binding affinity and static quenching for malvidin-3-galactoside (M3G). Multispectral data showed a significant variation in the secondary structure of pre-WPI. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulation selects AMBER18 as the protein force field, and the results showed that hydrogen bonding participated as an applied force. Compared with NW, pre-WPI could better wrap anthocyanins and avoid damage to the external environment due to tightening of the pockets. Protein protects anthocyanins from degradation, and this protective effect is influenced by the preheating temperature of protein and the structure of protein. On the basis of the above results, it is possible to pinpoint the interaction mechanism between preheated proteins and anthocyanins.

Colon-targeted delivery of polyphenols: construction principles, targeting mechanisms and evaluation methods.

Polyphenols have received considerable attention for their promotive effects on colonic health. However, polyphenols are mostly sensitive to harsh gastrointestinal environments, thus, must be protected. It is necessary to design and develop a colon-targeted delivery system to improve the stability, colon-targeting and bioavailability of polyphenols. This paper mainly introduces research on colon-targeted controlled release of polyphenols. The physiological features affecting the dissolution, release and absorption of polyphenol-loaded delivery systems in the colon are first discussed. Simultaneously, the types of colon-targeted carriers with different release mechanisms are described, and colon-targeting assessment models that have been studied so far and their advantages and limitations are summarized. Based on the current research on polyphenols colon-targeting, outlook and reflections are proposed, with the goal of inspiring strategic development of new colon-targeted therapeutics to ensure that the polyphenols reach the colon with complete bioactivity.

Agricultural activity on the Mun River basin: insight from spatial distribution and sources of dissolved rare earth elements in northeast Thailand.

Rare earth elements (REE) are emerging pollutants of concern, impacted by intensive fertilizer use and discharge of human and animal waste into agricultural watersheds. However, the natural values and potential anthropogenic enrichment of REE in aqueous systems of the agricultural basins remain poorly understood. This study investigated the spatial variation of dissolved REE in a predominantly agricultural river (Mun River) in northeast Thailand. Dissolved ΣREE concentrations in the Mun River ranged from 5.08 to 272.91 ng/L, with the highest concentrations observed in the middle reaches where agricultural fertilizers and wastewater increased dissolved REE concentrations. The PAAS-normalized patterns and dissolved Eu anomaly jointly reveal that the dissolved ΣREE mainly originated from local rocks and agricultural fertilizers. The dissolved REE in the Mun River is characteristic of a depleted light REE relative to heavy REE, slightly negative Ce anomaly, positive Eu anomaly, and positive Gd anomaly in a punctate distribution. The correlation analysis of (La/Yb)N with fluvial pH and HCO3- indicates that the water environment characteristics of the Mun River control dissolved REE fractionation. The Ce anomaly is associated with the oxidation environment, whereas the Eu anomaly is linked to the lithologic inheritance. Positive punctate Gd anomalies are influenced by human-caused wastewater discharge and applying fertilizers, raising Gd concentrations beyond natural background levels. This study has suggested that the geochemical characteristics of dissolved REE are affected by agricultural disturbances, and future environmental research on dissolved REE is essential to clarifying the impacts of REE on agriculture, the environment, and human health.

Improving Blueberry Anthocyanins' Stability Using a Ferritin Nanocarrier.

Blueberries are fruits known for their high level of anthocyanins, which have high nutritional value and several biological properties. However, the chemical instability of anthocyanins is one of the major limitations of their application. The stability of blueberry anthocyanin extracts (BAEs) encapsulated in a ferritin nanocarrier was investigated in this study for several influencing parameters, including pH, temperature, UV-visible light, redox agents, and various metal ions. The outcomes supported the positive role of protein nanoparticles in enhancing the stability of blueberry anthocyanins by demonstrating that the stability of encapsulated BAE nanoparticles with ferritin carriers was significantly higher than that of free BAEs and a mixture of BAEs and ferritin carriers. This study provides an alternative approach for enhancing blueberry anthocyanin stability using ferritin nanocarrier encapsulation.

Interaction and binding mechanism of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside to lysozyme in varying pH conditions: Multi-spectroscopic, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation approaches.

Due to pH sensitivity, the interaction between lysozyme and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside was investigated at pH 3.0 and 7.4 via multi-spectroscopic approaches, with additional molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation (MD). Binding with cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, the enhanced UV spectra and the reduced the α-helicity of lysozyme were both more significant at pH 7.4 than that at pH 3.0 (p < 0.05), corresponding to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study. Fluorescence quenching indicated the static mode was major at pH 3.0 with a part dynamic mode at pH 7.4 with a significantly high of Ks at 310 K (p < 0.05), corresponding to their MD. An instantaneous conformation of lysozyme was observed during C3G addition at pH 7.4 in fluorescence phase diagram. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside derivatives bind with lysozyme at a common site via hydrogen-bond and π-π interactions in molecular docking and tryptophan played a potential role in the interaction based on the MD.

The comparison between zein-anthocyanins complex and nanoparticle systems: Stability enhancement, interaction mechanism, and in silico approaches.

This research aimed to compare and characterize the physicochemical properties and interaction mechanism of zein and anthocyanins (ACNs) from experimental and theoretical perspectives. Zein-ACNs complex (ZACP) was prepared by mixing ACNs with different concentrations of zein, and zein-ACNs nanoparticles (ZANPs) were formed using ultrasound-assisted antisolvent precipitation method. The hydrated particle sizes of the two systems were 590.83 nm and 99.86 nm, respectively, and observed to be spherical under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The multi-spectroscopy approaches confirmed hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces were the dominant forces for stabilizing ACNs. The retention of ACNs, color stability and antioxidant activities were also improved in both systems. Furthermore, molecular simulation results were consistent with the multi-spectroscopy findings, which clarified the contribution of van der Waals forces to the binding of zein and ACNs. This study provided a practical approach for stabilizing ACNs and expanding the utilization of plant proteins as stabilization systems.

Flavonoids mitigation of typical food thermal processing contaminants: Potential mechanisms and analytical strategies.

Due to unique chemical structure, flavonoids are secondary metabolites with numerous biological activities. Thermal processing of food usually produces some chemical contaminants, which cause an adverse effect on food quality and nutrition. Therefore, it is vital to reduce these contaminants in food processing. In this study, current researches around the inhibitory effect of flavonoids on acrylamide, furans, α-dicarbonyl compounds and heterocyclic amines (HAs) were summarized. It has been shown that flavonoids inhibited the formation of these contaminants to varying degrees in chemical or food models. The mechanism was mainly associated with natural chemical structure and partly with antioxidant activity of flavonoids. Additionally, methods and tools of analyzing interactions between flavonoids and contaminants were discussed. In summary, this review demonstrated potential mechanisms and analytical strategies of flavonoids in food thermal processing, providing new insight of flavonoids applying on the food engineering.

Effects of α-casein on the excretion of blueberry anthocyanins via urine and feces: Analysis of their bioavailability.

Anthocyanins are bioactive compounds found in blueberries. However, their poor bioavailability restricts their functional activities in vivo, which is a challenging issue in the application of blueberry anthocyanins. Our current study utilized α-casein as a carrier and analyzed its influence on the excretion of blueberry anthocyanins in urine and feces in a rat model to reflect the enhanced bioavailability of blueberry anthocyanins by α-casein in vivo. The results showed that α-casein suppressed the excretive content of blueberry anthocyanins (malvidin-3-O-galacoside (M3G), cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (D3G)), increased the content of metabolites in urine (syringic acid, ferulic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and vanillic acid), and reduced metabolite content in feces (syringic acid, ferulic acid, and gallic acid), indicating that α-casein was effective in controlling the excretion of blueberry anthocyanins and their metabolites. In summary, these results provided sufficient evidence for the positive effects of α-casein on the bioavailability of blueberry anthocyanins.

An updated review on the stability of anthocyanins regarding the interaction with food proteins and polysaccharides.

The health benefits of anthocyanins are compromised by their chemical instability and susceptibility to external stress. Researchers found that the interaction between anthocyanins and macromolecular components such as proteins and polysaccharides substantially determines the stability of anthocyanins during food processing and storage. The topic thus has attracted much attention in recent years. This review underlines the new insights gained in our current study of physical and chemical properties and functional properties in complex food systems. It examines the interaction between anthocyanins and food proteins or polysaccharides by focusing on the "structure-stability" relationship. Furthermore, multispectral and molecular computing simulations are used as the chief instruments to explore the interaction's mechanism. During processing and storage, the stability of anthocyanins is generally influenced by the adverse characteristics of food and beverage, including temperature, light, oxygen, enzymes, pH. While the action modes and types between protein/polysaccharide and anthocyanins mainly depend on their structures, the noncovalent interaction between them is the key intermolecular force that increases the stability of anthocyanins. Our goal is to provide the latest understanding of the stability of anthocyanins under food processing conditions and further improve their utilization in food industries. Practical Application: This review provides support for the steady-state protection of active substances.

Effect of Intensive Blood Pressure Control on Carotid Morphology and Hemodynamics in Chinese Patients with Hyperhomocysteinemia-Type Hypertension and High Risk of Stroke.

BACKGROUND Different blood pressure targets should be formulated for different groups of people. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of intensive blood control in improving the carotid morphology and hemodynamics in Chinese patients with hyperhomocysteinemia-type hypertension and high risk of stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS Chinese hypertensive patients with high risk of stroke were randomized to intensive (n=187) and standard (n=192; controls) blood pressure management groups. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) targets were 100< SBP ≤120 and 120< SBP ≤140 mmHg, respectively. All patients received folic acid 0.8 mg/d and atorvastatin 20 mg/d. Calcium antagonist was first used. If blood pressure was still uncontrolled, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor antagonist, ß-receptor blocker, and diuretics were added successively. Follow-up was 12 months. Carotid features, hemodynamics, and adverse events were examined. RESULTS There were no differences in sex, age, body mass index, blood lipids, baseline carotid parameters, and histories of smoking, diabetes, statin use, and stroke between the 2 groups. Carotid plaques after 12 months of treatment were 19.4±2.1 and 23.6±3.1 cm² for the intensive and control groups, respectively (P=0.038). Plaque scores were lower in the intensive group (1.75±0.52 vs. 2.45±0.47, P=0.023). Compared with controls, intensive management resulted in relatively higher Vd and significantly lower Vs/Vd, PI, and RI (all P<0.05). Major adverse events such as hypotension (n=5 (2.7%) vs. 3 (1.6%), P=0.020) and dizziness (n=20 (10.7%) vs. 16 (8.3%), P=0.041) were more frequent in the intensive group. CONCLUSIONS Intensive blood pressure management could be beneficial for Chinese patients with hyperhomocysteinemia-type hypertension and high risk of stroke.

Effects of home-based cardiac exercise rehabilitation with remote electrocardiogram monitoring in patients with chronic heart failure: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) can benefit from exercise rehabilitation (ER) with significant improvements in exercise capacity, quality of life and reduction in hospitalisations. Despite its reported benefits, only a small number of patients with CHF attend ER due to poor adherence, and improper exercise may even lead to adverse events. Remote ECG monitoring system (REMS) has the potential to overcome these obstacles. We hypothesise that home-based cardiac ER using REMS in CHF patients is effective compared with conventional ER without monitoring. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a prospective, randomised, parallel controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of home-based phase-II ER with REMS in the treatment of CHF with a target enrolment of 120 patients (left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes I to III). Patients are randomised to either REMS rehabilitation group or conventional rehabilitation group in a 1:1 ratio. All patients start an exercise training in a supervised setting and then transition to a home-based regimen. The supervised training phase consists of 12 supervised training sessions, three sessions per week for 4 weeks. During the home exercise phase, patients exercise five times per week for 8 weeks. In the REMS group, patients wear monitors during exercise to ensure that exercise intensity is within the set ranges. REMS will also detect risky arrhythmia and alert the patients and their doctors on time. The training intensity is not monitored in the conventional rehabilitation group. The primary outcome is exercise capacity improvement measured by peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) (baseline vs 3 m). Secondary outcomes include 6-min walk test, NYHA classes, echocardiographic parameters, cardiac biomarkers, major adverse cardiovascular events, quality of life, psychological well-being and patients' adherence to the rehabilitation programme. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by Ethics Committee of China-Japan Friendship Hospital for Clinical Research (No. 2018-55 K39). The results of this study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR-RNR-17012446; Pre-results.

Work Function Adjustment by Using Dipole Engineering for TaN-Al2O3-Si3N4-HfSiOx-Silicon Nonvolatile Memory.

This paper presents a novel TaN-Al2O3-HfSiOx-SiO2-silicon (TAHOS) nonvolatile memory (NVM) design with dipole engineering at the HfSiOx/SiO2 interface. The threshold voltage shift achieved by using dipole engineering could enable work function adjustment for NVM devices. The dipole layer at the tunnel oxide-charge storage layer interface increases the programming speed and provides satisfactory retention. This NVM device has a high program/erase (P/E) speed; a 2-V memory window can be achieved by applying 16 V for 10 µs. Regarding high-temperature retention characteristics, 62% of the initial memory window was maintained after 10³ P/E-cycle stress in a 10-year simulation. This paper discusses the performance improvement enabled by using dipole layer engineering in the TAHOS NVM.

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of myoglobin-based nanocomposite membrane electrode.

The direct electron transfer of myoglobin (Mb) was achieved based on the immobilization of Mb/Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on glassy carbon electrode by multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)-chitosan(Chit) film. The immobilized Mb displayed a pair of well-defined and reversible redox peaks with a formal potential (E(θ')) of -24 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) in 0.1 M pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution. The apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants (k(s)) of Mb confined to Chit-MWNTs film was evaluated as 5.47 s(-1) according to Laviron's equation. The surface concentration (Γ(*)) of the electroactive Mb in the Chit-MWNTs film was estimated to be (4.16±0.35)×10(-9) mol cm(-2). Meanwhile, the catalytic ability of Mb toward the reduction of H(2)O(2) was studied. Its apparent Michaelis-Menten constant for H(2)O(2) was 0.024 mM, showing a good affinity. The linear range for H(2)O(2) determination was from 2.5×10(-5) M to 2.0×10(-4) M with a detection limit of 1.02×10(-6) M (S/N=3). Moreover, the biosensor displays rapid response to H(2)O(2) and good stability and reproducibility.

Fullerene-functionalized gold nanoparticles: electrochemical and spectroscopic properties.

Fullerene (C(60))-tethered gold nanoparticles were synthesized by the coupling of the fullerene molecules with peripheral amine moieties on the particle surface. The particle composition was determined by thermogravimetric analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The resulting particles exhibited unique optical and electrochemical properties. UV-visible measurements showed that the C(60) characteristic absorption remained practically invariant whereas the fluorescence demonstrated rather drastic enhancement of emission efficiency as compared to the behaviors of C(60) monomers. Tethering of C(60) on the particle surface has virtually no effect on the particle molecular capacitance when C(60) is in neutral state, whereas when C60 is electroreduced, the particle effective capacitance increases drastically, reflected in the quantized capacitance charging measurements. The strong affinity of C(60) to amine moieties was also exploited to assemble multilayers of C(60) and gold particle nanocomposite structures. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements showed quite efficient adsorption of C(60) and particles up to two repeated cycles. However, the voltammetric responses of the surface-confined C(60) and gold particle composite structures were found to be complicated by the inaccessibility of electrolyte counterions due to the compact nature of the surface assemblies.

Lateral quantized charge transfer across nanoparticle monolayers at the air/water interface.

Lateral quantized charge transfer was observed with gold nanoparticle monolayers at the air/water interface. The electronic conductivity was measured by using an interdigitated arrays (IDA) electrode perpendicularly aligned at the air/water interface where a particle ensemble was trapped between the IDA fingers. The overall voltammetric responses were analogous to that of the Coulomb blockade with a relatively flat central gap. This gap was found to shrink with increasing surface pressure. Differential pulse voltammetry revealed a series of well-defined voltammetric peaks within this central gap, which are ascribed to the single electron transfer of the particle ensemble. This observation was interpreted on the basis of relatively weak electronic coupling between neighboring particles where the particles behave more individually.

Magnetoelectrochemistry of gold nanoparticle quantized capacitance charging.

Magnetoelectrochemical studies of gold nanoparticle quantized capacitance charging were carried out at ambient conditions. The single electron transfer responses were found to be sensitive to external magnetic fields, reflected in the enhancement of voltammetric peak currents and shifts of peak formal potentials with increasing magnetic field intensities. Additionally, splittings of voltammetric peaks were also observed upon the application of an external magnetic field. These phenomena might be partly attributed to the paramagnetic characters (electron parity) of nanosized gold particles which are contingent upon their charge states. These novel observations suggest that the nanoparticle electronic energy structures can be varied by magnetic fields, leading to molecular manipulations of the nanoscale charge-transfer chemistry.