Abstract The oxidation and structural properties of hazelnut protein prepared from a low-temperature cold-pressed hazelnut meal were evaluated using three oxidative modification methods: AAPH (2,2'-azo(2-methylpropionamidine)dihydrochloride), MDA (malondialdehyde), and H2O2. The three different oxidants gradually increased the carbonyl content of the proteins, MDA from 1.91 to 8.87 nmol/m, AAPH (from 2.13 to 12.18 nmol/mg, and H2O2 from 2.28 to 13.72 nmol/mg, indicating that the hazelnut protein was oxidized. The carbonyl content of H2O2-modified hazelnut proteins was the highest, implying that the proteins were more susceptible to oxidation by hydroxyl radicals. FT-IR, intrinsic fluorescence spectra, surface hydrophobicity, and protein electrophoresis implied that oxidative modifications altered the secondary structure of hazelnut proteins, and promoted protein aggregation and cross-linking. In addition, the oxidative modification resulted in a larger particle size distribution of hazelnut proteins and a decrease in the zeta potential absolute value, indicating a decrease in the hazelnut proteins stability and the formation of soluble aggregates. Overall, incubation with AAPH, MDA, and H2O2 significantly affected the structure of hazelnut proteins, demonstrating that hazelnut proteins in food processing systems are susceptible to structural and property changes due to different oxidation products.

Abstract This study utilized data on dairy enterprises, which are representative of China's food industry, to investigate the relationships and mechanisms between industrial agglomeration and the product quality of food enterprises. The results show that industrial agglomeration significantly improves the product quality of Chinese food enterprises. In general, the economic effect of China's food industry agglomeration is greater than that of excessive competition. The heterogeneity analysis showed that industrial agglomeration plays a more important role in promoting the product quality of non-state-owned enterprises and food enterprises in the eastern region than in state-owned enterprises and the central and western regions. Further mechanistic analysis showed that industrial agglomeration promotes food quality improvement by improving enterprise productivity and fixed cost input efficiency. Therefore, this study confirms that industrial agglomeration can be used as an external driving force for China's food quality improvement. On the basis of market mechanisms, through the guidance of the macro policy of industrial agglomeration, the external economies of the scale effect of agglomeration are of great significance for helping the food industry become high quality and high end.

Abstract Background: Our previous study showed that knockdown of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) attenuated myocardial apoptosis in mouse acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study aims to explore whether MALAT1 enhanced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via autophagy regulation and the underlying mechanisms of MALAT1 regulating autophagy. Methods: Cardiomyocytes were isolated from neonatal mice and then stimulated with hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury to mimic AMI. The autophagy level was assessed using GFP-LC3 immunofluorescence and western blot analysis of autophagy-related proteins. RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) was performed to analyze the binding of MALAT1 and EZH2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay was performed to analyze the binding of TSC2 promoter and EZH2. The cell apoptosis was evaluated using TUNEL staining and western blot analysis of apoptosis-related proteins. Results: H/R injury increased MALAT1 expression in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, MALAT1 overexpression inhibited, whereas MALAT1 knockdown enhanced the autophagy of cardiomyocytes. Moreover, MALAT1 overexpression recruited EZH2 to TSC2 promoter regions to elevate H3K27me3 and epigenetically inhibited TSC2 transcription. Importantly, TSC2 overexpression suppressed mTOR signaling and then activated the autophagy. Further results showed that MALAT1 inhibited proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes through inhibiting TSC2 and autophagy. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the increased MALAT1 expression induced by H/R injury enhances cardiomyocyte apoptosis through autophagy inhibition by regulating TSC2-mTOR signaling.

Flavonoids were extracted from the leaves of Acanthopanax brachypus Harms by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and four known flavonoids were isolated from the extracts by column chromatography. On the basis of physico-chemical constants and spectral data, their structures were elucidated as quercetin, quercitrin, rutin and hyperin. The influences of experimental conditions, such as solvent concentration, solution-solid ratio, microwave irradiation time and power on the extraction yields were discussed in orthogonal experiments. The four flavonoids content in the leaves was determined by HPLC analysis. The analytical results reveal that A. brachypus leaves are abundant in flavonoids, the contents of quercetin, quercitrin, rutin and hyperin are 0.86, 1.65, 2.19 and 2.68 mgg¹, respectively.

FUNDAMENTO: O Imatinib é um inibidor do receptor tirosina-quinase que foi confirmada como exercendo um efeito inibidor sobre a atividade do receptor do PDGF, fator de crescimento plaquetário (PDGFRα e PDGFRβ). OBJETIVO: Investigar o efeito protetor do Imatinib na fibrose miocárdica em acetato de deoxicorticosterona (DOCA)/ratos com hipertensão induzida por sal. MÉTODOS: Sessenta ratos Sprague-Dawley machos, uninefrectomizados foram distribuídos em três grupos: ratos controles (grupo CON): grupo deoxicorticosterona (grupo DOCA); grupo deoxicorticosterona e Imatinib (grupo DOCA IMA). A Pressão Arterial Sistólica (PAS) foi medida quinzenalmente. Foi estudada a porção apical do ventrículo esquerdo. Foram empregados: coloração vermelho sirius, coloração de hematoxilina-eosina, imuno-histoquímica e ensaio de western blot. RESULTADOS: A PAS nos grupos DOCA e IMA+DOCA foi maior que no grupo CON nos dias 14 e 28. Os animais do grupo DOCA apresentaram fibrose intersticial e perivascular grave no dia 28, e as expressões de PI, PIII, tenascina-C e fibronectina foram significativamente maiores que nos grupos DOCA+IMA e CON. Quando comparados com o grupo CON, os grupos DOCA e DOCA+IMA apresentaram resposta inflamatória de tecido miocárdico e infiltração de monócitos/macrófagos de diferentes graus. As expressões proteicas do PDGF-A, PDGF-C e PDGFRα foram significativamente maiores nos grupos DOCA e DOCA+IMA que no grupo CON, mas a expressão proteica do p-PDGFRα no grupo DOCA+IMA foi menor que no DOCA. CONCLUSÃO: O Imatinib pode exercer efeitos inibitórios sobre a fibrose miocárdica em ratos com hipertensão induzida por DOCA/sal, os quais podem ser atribuídos à inibição da atividade do PDGFR-α.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor that has been confirmed to exert inhibitory effect on the platelet derived growth factor PDGF receptor (PDGFRα and PDGFRβ) activity. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of imatinib on the myocardial fibrosis in deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)/salt induced hypertensive rats. METHODS: Sixty male uninephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to three groups: control rats (CON group); deoxycorticosterone group (DOCA group); deoxycorticosterone and imatinib group (DOCA+IMA group). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured biweekly. The apical portion of the left ventricle was studied. Sirius-Red staining, Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, immunohistochemistry and Western blot assay were employed. RESULTS: SBP in the DOCA group and DOCA+IMA group was higher than that in the CON group on day 14 and 28. Animals in the DOCA group showed severe interstitial and perivascular fibrosis on day 28, and the expressions of PI, PIII, tenascin-C and fibronectin were significantly higher than those in the DOCA+IMA group and CON group. When compared with the CON group, myocardial tissue inflammatory response and monocyte/macrophage infiltration of different degrees were observed in the DOCA group and DOCA+IMA group. Protein expressions of PDGF-A, PDGF-C and PDGFRα were signiflcantly higher in the DOCA and DOCA+IMA groups than those in the CON group, but the p-PDGFRα protein expression in the DOCA+IMA group was lower than that in the DOCA group. CONCLUSION: Imatinib can exert inhibitory effects on myocardial fibrosis in DOCA/salt induced hypertensive rats, which may be attributed to the inhibition of PDGFR-α activity.

Efeitos da dieta e idade da fêmea em relação à prole e à razão sexual do parasitoide solitário Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae). As teorias predizem que as fêmeas parasitoides de vespas ajustam a relação razão sexual dos descendentes, de acordo com condições ambientais, em cada oviposição. Entretanto, a dieta e idade das fêmeas também podem afetar o ajuste da razão sexual. Nosso foco foi testar os efeitos da dieta e idade da fêmeas em relação a razão sexual da prole da vespa parasitoide Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani, 1875). Nossos resultados mostraram que as fêmeas alimentadas com mel apresentaram uma razão sexual significativa menor de fêmeas, do que aquelas alimentadas apenas com água. A razão sexual (percentagem dos machos) diminuiu com a idade ou longevidade das fêmeas no início da oviposição, mas com aumento no final. Deve haver uma limitação de esperma nas fêmeas de P. vindemmiae no final da oviposição e uma maior frequência de posturas de ovos infertilizados. As fêmeas também fazem posturas de um número maior de ovos infertilizados no início da oviposição, que seria necessário para assegurar o acasalamento entre os descendentes. A prole masculina desenvolverá mais rapidamente e emergirá mais cedo, o que também reduziria o risco de virgindade da prole, com a tendenciosa proporção de razão sexual maior das fêmeas.

Effects of female diet and age on offspring sex ratio of the solitary parasitoid Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae). Theories predict that females of parasitoid wasps would adjust the offspring sex ratio to environmental conditions in the oviposition patch, but the diet and age of females would also affect the sex ratio adjustment. Our focus was to test the effects of female diet and age on offspring sex ratio of the solitary parasitoid wasp, Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani, 1875). Our results showed that females fed with honey had significantly less female biased offspring sex ratio than those fed only with water. Offspring sex ratio (male percentage) decreased with female age or female longevity at the beginning of oviposition but increased at the end. There should be a sperm limitation in P. vindemmiae females at the end of oviposition, and a higher frequency of unfertilized eggs were laid then. Females also laid more unfertilized eggs at the beginning of oviposition, which would be necessary to insure the mating among offspring. Male offspring developed faster and emerged earlier, which would also reduce the risk of virginity in offspring with female-biased sex ratio.