The Chinese herb Radix astragalus (RA) has been widely used as a dietary supplement in Asia, and there are numerous reports on its bioactivities. However, there are no reports to date regarding the use of Aspergillus spp. in the culture medium of the RA plant for the production of phenolic antioxidants. In this study, utilizing the fungus Aspergillus to ferment the native RA has successfully resulted in a significant increase in the phenolic contents of RA, and the fermented RA also revealed much better antioxidant activity toward 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radicals, hydroxyl radical, superoxide radical and peroxyl radical than those of unfermented RA. Among these phenolics, a potent novel antioxidant was isolated and identified as 3,4-di(4'-hydroxyphenyl) isobutyric acid with a molecular weight of 272, by ESI-MS (electrospray ionization mass), ¹H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), ¹³C NMR, DEPT (distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer)-NMR, HMQC (heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence), and HMBC (heteronuclear multiple bond correlation) spectra. These data demonstrated that the solid-state bioprocessing strategy could be an innovative approach to enhance the antioxidant activity of RA.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and is triggered via abnormal accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). Aggregated Aβ is responsible for disrupting calcium homeostasis, inducing neuroinflammation, and promoting neurodegeneration. In this study, we generated curcuminoid submicron particle (CSP), which reduce the average size to ~60 nm in diameter. CSP had elevated the bioavailability in vivo and better neuroprotective effect against oligomeric Aβ than un-nanosized curcuminoids in vitro. Two months of CSP consumption reversed spatial memory deficits and the loss of a calcium binding protein calbindin-D28k in the hippocampus of AD mouse model. In addition, CSP consumption lowered amyloid plaques and astrogliosis in vivo and enhanced microglial Aβ phagocytosis in vitro, implying that the beneficial effects of CSP also mediated via modulating neuroinflammation and enhancing amyloid clearance. Taken together, our study demonstrated the protective effects of CSP toward ameliorating the memory impairment and pathological deficits in AD mouse model.

Our results demonstrate that fermented soy germ has the potential to be a good dietary supplement for prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases, and the solid-state bioprocessing strategy could be an innovative approach to enhance the antioxidant activity of soy germ.

A BSTRA C T Fillets (skin on) obtained from freshly killed tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicusPeters

ObjectivesAdverse birth outcomes pose a great threat to the public health and bring a heavy burden of disease in China. A comprehensive examination of the temporal and spatial trends of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA) epidemics can provide some elementary information for subsequent aetiological and epidemiological studies. This study aimed to characterise the spatiotemporal features of PTB, LBW and SGA based on a large cohort of live births in China.DesignSpatiotemporal descriptive analysis was performed in Guangdong province, China, from 2014 to 2017.SettingData involving 2 917 098 live births in Guangdong province, China from 2014 to 2017 was collected from Guangdong Birth Certificate System. Information was collected, including the date of birth, gestational age in week, birth weight, sex of the infant, age of the mother and registered residence of the mother.ResultsThe estimated rate of PTB, LBW and SGA was 4.16%, 4.14% and 12.86%, respectively. For temporal trends, the rates of PTB, LBW and SGA showed seasonal fluctuations, especially for LBW and SGA. In addition, there were regional differences in the rates of PTB, LBW and SGA between the Pearl River Delta and Non-Pearl River Delta regions. From 2014 to 2017, the high rates of PTB and LBW expanded from the Pearl River Delta region to the Non-Pearl River Delta regions. However, compared with the Pearl River Delta region, the rate of SGA was higher in the Non-Pearl River Delta regions on the whole.ConclusionThe findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the aetiology and epidemiology of PTB, LBW and SGA in south China.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remain the backbone of systematic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Sorafenib and lenvatinib are currently approved as first-line therapeutic drugs, and regorafenib and cabozantinib are applied as second-line treatments. With inhibition of angiogenesis as the main target, TKIs exert a profound effect on the tumour microenvironment (TME). The TME is a complex mixture of cellular and noncellular components surrounding the tumour mass, and is associated with tumour progression partially through the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Specifically, the TME of HCC is characterized by profound extracellular matrix remodelling and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of TME remodelling mediated by four Food and Drug Administration approved TKIs in HCC and thus summarize the rationale and potential targets for combination therapy. The modulatory effect of TKIs on the TME of HCC was reported to enhance the antitumour effect of TKIs through pyroptosis of macrophages and subsequent natural killer cell activation, T cell activation, regulatory T cell reduction in HCC. Meanwhile, TKIs also induce drug resistance via M2 polarization and accumulation, recruitment of tumour-associated neutrophils, and induction of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. In conclusion, the effect of TKIs on TME can enhance its antitumour effect, but might also partially contribute to the drug resistance that hinders the progression of TKIs as treatment for HCC. Additionally, the effect of TKIs also provides the rationale for combination therapy, including combining TKIs with immune checkpoint inhibitors, to facilitate increased drug efficacy of TKIs.

In Taiwan commercial storage of potatoes (C V Kennebec, Wu-Foon, Cardinal)

In previous research work, investigators have reported only one or two segments of absolute negative mobility (ANM) in a periodic potential. In fact, many segments of ANM also occur in the system considered here. We investigate transport of an inertial particle in a gating ratchet periodic potential subjected to a constant bias force. Our numerical results show that its mean velocity can decrease with the bias force increasing, i.e. ANM phenomenon. Furthermore, the ANM can take place arbitrary segments, even up to more than thirty. Intrinsic physical mechanism and conditions for arbitrary segments of ANM to occur are discussed in detail.