Abstract A Qingzhi compound-flavor Baijiu (QZCF Baijiu) was developed and the physiochemical factors and microbial community structure in Jiupei (fermented grains) during Baijiu fermentation were revealed. Physiochemical factors of ethanol, moisture and acidity significantly increased in the fermentation, while starch and reducing sugar decreased. The results of high-throughput sequencing showed that Weissella, Pediococcus, Bacillus, Pantoea, Streptococcus, Sphingobacterium, Saccharomyces, Rhizopus, Issatchenkia and Wickerhamomyces were the dominant microorganisms in Jiupei. Moreover, correlation analysis between the physicochemical factors, the dominant microorganisms and the important flavor compounds in QZCF Baijiu production highlighted that the changes of physiochemical factors would lead to the corresponding changes of core microbiota and important flavor substances. Physiochemical factors of starch, reducing sugar and temperature could significantly affect the microbial community structure at the early stage of fermentation, while the influences of ethanol content and acidity became greater at the later stage, resulting in the differences of flavor compounds in Jiupei. Therefore, the growth and metabolism of microbial communities could be regulated by purposefully adjusting the physiochemical factors, thereby improving the flavor and quality of Baijiu. This work enriched the flavor types of Baijiu and provided a reference for the Baijiu-making industries to manage their production process.

Abstract Lactobacillus brevis is the major spoiler in beer, affecting product quality and causing economic losses in breweries. Although several genes involved in beer-spoilage have been identified, there are still unresolved questions about which genes that are associated with growth in beer and the potential roles of these genes. In this study, 21 Lactobacillus brevis strains were tested for beer spoilage potential; three beer-tolerant and three beer-sensitive strains were selected for comparative genomic analysis. One of the tolerant strains was exposed to growth conditions containing novobiocin that favor loss of plasmids, and subsequently became more sensitive to beer as determined by growth experiments. The genetic difference between the wildtype and the sensitive mutant confirmed that the previously identified beer (hop)-tolerance genes horA and hitA, which are usually localized on plasmids, play important roles in beer spoilage. Interestingly, horA and hitA were present in another sensitive strain whereas these genes were absent in another tolerant strain. This indicates that a beer-spoilage phenotype cannot be easily identified from the presence of a few reported beer-spoilage genes. The potential roles of additional genes involved in beer tolerance were discussed, including a ClpX protease and a manganese transporter different from hitA.

Abstract Introduction Prior studies have found inconsistent results regarding the relationship between vitamin D status and Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty (ICPP). Objective To assess the role of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 [OH]D) levels in ICPP development. Method The authors retrospectively collected data from 221 girls with ICPP and 144 healthy girls between January 2017 and December 2019. The participants’ serum 25(OH)D levels were measured using an automatic chemiluminescence method, and the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and the risk of ICPP was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI) were calculated as effect estimates. Results Serum 25(OH)D levels in the ICPP group were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that girls with insufficient vitamin D levels (OR = 0.201; 95% CI 0.094-0.428; p < 0.001) and sufficient vitamin D levels (OR = 0.141; 95% CI 0.053-0.375; p < 0.001) both had a lower risk of ICPP than girls with vitamin D deficiency. Moreover, the authors found that the height (p = 0.014), weight (p = 0.014), breast stage (p = 0.010), mother's height (p < 0.001), and luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio (p = 0.010) in girls with ICPP could be associated with levels of vitamin D. Conclusion This study found that a low serum 25(OH)D level is an independent risk factor for ICPP, and several characteristics of girls with ICPP could be affected by their vitamin D status.

ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the effects of Periplaneta americana L. on ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by a combination of chronic stress (CS) and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid enema (TNBS) in rats. Methods: The experiment UC model with CS was established in rats by a combination of chronic restraint stress, excess failure, improper, and TNBS. The body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colonic mucosal injury index (CMDI), histopathological score (HS) and pro-inflammatory mediators were measured. The content of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in hypothalamus or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosteroids (CORT) in plasma were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The proportion of T lymphocyte subsets was detected by flow cytometry, and gut microbiota was detected by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Results: Weight loss, DAI, CMDI, HS and proinflammatory mediators were reversed in rats by P. americana L. treatment after UC with CS. Increased epidermal growth factor (EGF) was observed in P. americana L. groups. In addition, P. americana L. could reduce the content of CRH and ACTH and regulate the ratio of CD3+, CD3+CD8+ and CD3+CD4+CD25+/CD4+ in spleen. Comparably, P. americana L. changes composition of gut microbiota. Conclusions: The ethanol extract of Periplaneta Americana L. improves UC induced by a combination of CS and TNBS in rats.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have not shown any correlation between bile acid metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Thus, the current study evaluated the association between bile acid levels as well as BMD and bone turnover marker levels in this group of women. METHODS: This single-center cross-sectional study included 150 postmenopausal Chinese women. According to BMD, the participants were divided into three groups: osteoporosis group, osteopenia group, and healthy control group. Serum bile acid, fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), and bone turnover biomarker levels were assessed. Moreover, the concentrations of parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D], procollagen type I N-peptide (P1NP), and beta-CrossLaps of type I collagen containing cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide (β-CTX) were evaluated. The BMD of the lumbar spine and proximal femur were examined via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: The serum total bile acid levels in the osteoporosis and osteopenia groups (5.28±1.56 and 5.31±1.56 umol/L, respectively) were significantly lower than that in the healthy control group (6.33±2.04 umol/L; p=0.002 and 0.018, respectively). Serum bile acid level was positively associated with the BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip. However, it negatively correlated with β-CTX concentration. Moreover, no correlation was observed between bile acid and P1NP levels, and the levels of the other biomarkers that were measured did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: Serum bile acid was positively correlated with BMD and negatively correlated with bone turnover biomarkers reflecting bone absorption in postmenopausal women. Thus, bile acid may play an important role in bone metabolism.

Abstract Herein, we aimed to investigate the functions of ADAMTS6 in colon cancer and its potential mechanism. Based on the data acquired from TCGA database, we revealed that ADAMTS6 was highly expressed in colon cancer tissues, and high expression of ADAMTS6 predicted worse prognosis in patients with colon cancer. Moreover, qRT-PCR demonstrated that the levels of ADAMTS6 were higher in colon cancer cell lines (NCI-H508, Caco-2, CW-2 and HCT 116) than that in normal control cell line CCD-18Co. Functional experiments displayed that depletion of ADAMTS6 repressed NCI-H508 cell growth, invasion and migration whilst overexpression of ADAMTS6 facilitated Caco-2 cell growth, invasion and migration. Moreover, ADAMTS6 silencing enhanced the protein expression of E-cadherin and reduced the levels of N-cadherin, Vimentin and Snail in NCI-H508 cells, whereas ADAMTS6 overexpression showed the counter effects in Caco-2 cells. The protein levels of p-AKT and p-p65 were decreased by depletion of ADAMTS6 in NCI-H508 cells, while their levels were enhanced by overexpression of ADAMTS6 in Caco-2 cells. These consequences indicated that the accelerating effect of ADAMTS6 on colon cancer cell growth, migration and invasion might be achieved by modulating EMT and AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway, offering important foundations for colon cancer treatment.

Abstract Cutaneous reactions associated with interferons (IFNs) treatment are either localized or generalized. The most common presentation of localized reactions at IFNs injection site is usually an erythematous patch or plaque. Local leukocytoclastic vasculitis presenting with cutaneous necrosis is extremely rare. We report a 19-year-old man with hepatitis B who had local leukocytoclastic vasculitis induced by interferon-gama injection at the injection site. After changing the injection sites and using the combined treatment of prednisone and colchicine, the previous lesion healed and no other cutaneous lesion occurred. We also made a mini review of such cases.

Hydrophobicity is an important parameter to characterize electrical properties of insulated materials. Therefore, it is an urgent task to develop on-line instruments to identify the hydrophobicity of insulated material's surface conveniently, quickly and accurately. For this purpose, a novel evaluation system with image processing and decision tree is proposed which is based on embedded platform. For obtaining satisfactory results, we first propose a mixed image segmentation method to overcome the complex conditions outside, concerning non-controlled illumination, nonstandard surfaces and unfixed shooting angle. Then we adopt four new characteristic parameters to describe the image of each sample. Finally, a classification method based on MultiBoost decision tree is conducted which synthesizes the merits of both AdaBoost and Wagging algorithm. Results indicate the procedures can be applied in the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) platform perfectly and better results can be obtained than those did in our previous study or that of some other research.

In this study, we analyzed the environmental (physical and chemical) and biological (phytoplankton) data obtained from the Daya Bay, South China Sea, during 4 cruises, carried out in January, April, August and October, 2001. The main objective of this study was to identify the key environmental factors affecting phytoplankton structure in the bay. The results suggest that environmental factors like temperature and nutrients ratios have great influence on phytoplankton succession. Environmental factors are affected by the combination of human activities and nature processes. The limiting factor transited from N limiting in winter to P limiting in spring. Hydrodynamic processes (mixing in winter and stratification in summer) seem to be another main driving force for phytoplankton growth. The diatoms were the dominant group during most of the year and the dominant species were Chaetoceros affinis, Chaetoceros lorenzianus, and Nitzschia pungens all the year round.

En este estudio, se analizaron datos ambientales (físicos y químicos) y biológicos (fitoplancton) obtenidos de Bahía Daya, Mar de China Meridional, durante 4 cruceros, llevados a cabo en enero, abril, agosto y octubre de 2001. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue identificar los factores ambientales clave que afectan la estructura del fitoplancton de la bahía. Los resultados sugieren que los factores ambientales como la temperatura y la proporción de nutrientes tienen una gran influencia en la sucesión del fitoplancton. Los factores ambientales son afectados por una combinación de actividades humanas y procesos naturales. El factor limitante pasó de N en invierno a P en primavera. Los procesos hidrodinámicos (mezcla en invierno y estratificación en verano) parecen ser otro factor forzante para el crecimiento del fitoplancton. Las diatomeas fueron el grupo dominante durante gran parte del año y las especies dominantes fueron Chaetoceros affinis, Chaetoceros lorenzianus, y Nitzschia pungens durante todo el año.

Meconopsis horridula is one of the eight most famous flowers in Chinese province of Yunnan. In this study, a modified biotin-streptavidin capture method was used to detect 13 microsatellite markers in the genome of M. horridula. The polymorphism of each locus was assessed in 24 samples collected from four populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 7 (mean: 3.2). The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.0833 to 0.9167 and 0.0816 to 0.8050, respectively. Additionally, nine of the 13 microsatellite markers were successfully amplified in three other congeneric species. These polymorphic SSR markers could be useful for studying the population genetics of M. horridula and for assessing genetic variation in this and congenerc species in conservation programs.