Background: Low dietary intakes and low plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin are associated with an increased risk of agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). No studies have challenged AMD patients with a diet high in lutein and zeaxanthin. Objective: The objective was to examine the effect of diets low or high in lutein and zeaxanthin on plasma carotenoids and their transport in AMD patients. Design: Seven AMD patients and 5 control subjects were fed a low-lutein, low-zeaxanthin diet (Ȃ1.1 mg/d) for 2 wk, which was followed by a high-lutein, high-zeaxanthin diet (Ȃ11 mg/d) for 4 wk. Ten subjects continued the diet for 8 wk. Plasma and lipoprotein carotenoids were measured by HPLC. Results: The high-lutein, high-zeaxanthin diet resulted in 2-to 3-fold increases in plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin and other carotenoids, except lycopene, in the AMD patients and the control subjects. With this diet, 52% of the lutein and 44% of the zeaxanthin were transported by HDL; Ȃ22% of lutein and zeaxanthin was transported by LDL. Only 20 -25% of ␣-carotene, ␤-carotene, and lycopene was transported by HDL; 50 -57% was transported by LDL. Conclusions:The AMD patients and control subjects responded similarly to a diet high in lutein and zeaxanthin; plasma carotenoid concentrations increased greatly in both groups, and the transport of carotenoids by lipoproteins was not significantly different between the groups. This finding suggests that abnormalities in the metabolism of lutein and zeaxanthin in AMD may reside in the uptake of lutein and zeaxanthin from the plasma and transport into the retina.Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:762-9.

A novel intestinal-targeted carrier for pH-responsive protection of lactic acid bacteria in stomach and rapid release of lactic acid bacteria in small intestine is successfully developed. The proposed carrier is composed of a Ca-alginate/protamine (CAP) composite shell and a Lactobacillus-casei-encapsulated Ca-alginate (CA) core. The carriers are prepared simply by a coextrusion minifluidic and subsequent adsorption method. The CAP composite shell offers not only improved protection for Lactobacillus casei to guarantee the endurance and survival in the stomach but also satisfactory intestinal-targeted characteristics to guarantee the rapid release of Lactobacillus casei in the small intestine. In the stomach, where there is an acidic environment, the diffusion channels delineated by the CA networks in the CAP composite shell of the carriers are choked with protamine molecules; as a result, it is hard for the gastric acid to diffuse across the CAP composite shell and thus the encapsulated Lactobacillus casei inside carriers can be efficiently protected. However, when they come to the small intestine, where there is a neutral environment, the carriers dissolve rapidly because of the cooperation between protamine and trypsin; consequently, the encapsulated Lactobacillus casei can be quickly released. The proposed CAP composite carrier provides a novel mode for developing efficient protection systems, responsive controlled-release systems, and intestinal-targeted drug delivery systems.

Quantifying the removal of co‐seismic landslide material after a large‐magnitude earthquake is central to our understanding of geomorphic recovery from seismic events and the topographic evolution of tectonically active mountain ranges. In order to gain more insight into the fluvial erosion response to co‐seismic landslides, we focus on the sediment fluxes of rivers flowing through the rupture zone of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in the Longmen Shan of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Over the post‐seismic period of 2008–2013, we annually collected river sediment samples (0.25–1 mm) at 19 locations and measured the concentration of cosmogenic 10Be in quartz. When compared with published pre‐earthquake data, the 10Be concentrations declined dramatically after the earthquake at all sampling sites, but with significant spatial differences in the amplitude of this decrease, and were starting to increase toward pre‐earthquake level in several basins over the 5‐year survey. Our analysis shows that the amplitude of 10Be decrease is controlled by the amount of landslides directly connected to the river network. Calculations based on 10Be mixing budgets indicate that the sediment flux of the 0.25–1 mm size fraction increased up to sixfold following the Wenchuan earthquake. Our results also suggest that fluvial erosion became supply limited shortly after the earthquake, and predict that it could take a few years to several decades for fluvial sediment fluxes to go back to pre‐earthquake characteristics, depending on catchment properties. We also estimate that it will take at least decades and possibly up to thousands of years to remove the co‐seismic landslide materials from the catchments in the Longmen Shan. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.