Research Advances on Nutritional Physiological Functions and Application of Lysozyme

Lysozyme is an important immune factor of animals and a hydrolase specifically acting on microbial cell wall, which exhibits various functions, such as anti-bacteria, anti-inflammation, antivirus, enhancing immunity of animals and improving gastrointestinal mieroflora. Lysozyme is non-toxic to livestock and poultry without drug residue or side effects, which is a novel green health-care feed additive. In this paper, the types, function mechanisms and physiological functions of lysozyme and its application in livestock industry were summarized, aiming at providing a scientific basis for the application of lysozyme in animal feeds.

Cardiac resident macrophages: Spatiotemporal distribution, development, physiological functions, and their translational potential on cardiac diseases

Cardiac resident macrophages (CRMs) are the main population of cardiac immune cells. The role of these cells in regeneration, functional remodeling, and repair after cardiac injury is always the focus of research. However, in recent years, their dynamic changes and contributions in physiological states have a significant attention. CRMs have specific phenotypes and functions in different cardiac chambers or locations of the heart and at different stages. They further show specific differentiation and development processes. The present review will summarize the new progress about the spatiotemporal distribution, potential developmental regulation, and their roles in cardiac development and aging as well as the translational potential of CRMs on cardiac diseases. Of course, the research tools for CRMs, their respective advantages and disadvantages, and key issues on CRMs will further be discussed.

Factors affecting selenium-enrichment efficiency,metabolic mechanisms and physiological functions of selenium-enriched lactic acid bacteria

Selenium(Se)-enriched lactic acid bacteria(LAB)are live bacteria preparations that accumulate and bio-transform inorganic Se into organic Se forms including Se-nanoparticles(SeNPs),Se-amino acids and selenoproteins.Se-enriched LAB can play the dual role of organic Se supplement and probiotic effects,and have great applications in the food and biomedical fields.Therefore,more and more attentions have been paid on the Se-enriched LAB.This paper firstly summarized the factors affecting the Se-enrichment efficiency of Se-enriched LAB,then discussed the metabolic mechanisms and physiological functions of Se-enriched LAB,and finally reviewed their applications in food production,in order to provide a guidance for the theoretical and practical implementation of Se-enriched LAB.We concluded that 1)both biomass and the amount of Se enrichment should be used as dual indicators to screen Se-enriched LAB and comprehensively optimize the influencing factors including initial Se concentration,pH,inoculation amount,species of LAB to ensure the Se enrichment efficiency.2)The metabolic mechanism underlining Se-enriched LAB needs to be further revealed,which will facilitate the production of higher value Se compounds by LAB.3)The proven physiological functions of Se-enriched LAB include 5 categories:antioxidant activity,antibacterial activity,improving the physical function of animals,detoxification and disease prevention.However,the application of Se-enriched LAB in medical field currently still lacks clinical research,and convincing clinical evidence of effectiveness for Se-enriched LAB on human being must be established.4)The application in the food field will benefit from the stable existence in the food system of Se-enriched LAB and public acceptance,which come before the various health benefits.In any case,the great potential value of Se-enriched LAB formulations deserves further comprehensive exploration and development.

Plant aquaporins:Their roles beyond water transport

Compared to other organisms,plants have evolved a greater number of aquaporins with diverse substrates and functions to adapt to ever-changing environmental and internal stimuli for growth and development.Although aquaporins were initially identified as channels that allow water molecules to cross biological membranes,progress has been made in identifying various novel permeable substrates.Many studies have characterized the versatile physiological and biophysical functions of plant aquaporins.Here,we review the recent reports that highlight aquaporin-facilitated regulation of major physiological processes and stress tolerance throughout plant life cycles as well as the potential prospects and possibilities of applying aquaporins to improve agricultural productivity,food quality,environmental protection,and ecological conservation.

Physiological Function of Phytosterol and Its Application

As a bioactive substance, phytosterol reduces blood cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also has such physiological functions as growth regulation, promotion of protein synthesis, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, immune regulation and hormone-like effects. Phytosterol does not show any toxicity to human and animals, and it is a new functional feed additive approved by the Ministry of Agriculture of China. This article generally reviewed the physiological function of phytosterol like regulation of cholesterol metabolism, antioxidation, hormone-like effects, and its application on animal, production like hypolipidemic and improving dairy animals＇ milk composition. The paper provides a reference for wide application of phytosterol in animal feed.

Advances in the Clinical Application of Trendelenburg Position

The Trendelenburg position and reverse Trendelenburg position are frequently employed during lower abdominal surgery to achieve optimal surgical field visualization and complete exposure of the operative site, particularly under pneumoperitoneum conditions. However, these positions can have significant impacts on the patient’s physiological functions. This article overviews the historical background of Trendelenburg position and reverse Trendelenbury position, their effects on various physiological functions, recent advancements in their clinical applications, and strategies for preventing and managing associated complications.

Establishing a protein expression profile database for the normal human pituitary gland using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography combined with LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry

In this study, we selected adult normal pituitary gland tissues from six patients during operations for pituitary microadenomas via the transsphenoidal approach for extended normal pituitary tissue resection around the tumor, and analyzed the protein expression of human normal pituitary using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography combined with LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry proteomics technology. The ten most highly expressed proteins in normal human pituitary were： alpha 3 type VI collagen isoform 5 precursor （abundance among tall pituitary proteins 1.30%）, fibrinogen beta chain preproprotein （0.99%）, vimentin （0.73%）, prolactin （0.69%）, ATP synthase, H~ transporting and mitochondrial F1 complex beta subunit precursor （0.52%）, keratin I （0.49%）, growth hormone （0.45%）, carbonic anhydrase I （0.40%）, heat shock protein 90 kDa I （0.31%）, and annexin V （0.30%）. Based on the biological function classifications of these proteins, the top three categories by content were neuroendocrine proteins （abundance among all pituitary proteins, 40.1%）, catalytic and metabolic proteins （28.3%）, and cell signal transduction proteins （9.8%）. Based on cell positioning classification, the top three categories were cell organelle （24.5%） membrane （20.8%）, and cytoplasm （13.0%）. Based on biological process classification, the top three categories of proteins are involved in physiological processes （42.9%）, cellular processes （40.4%）, and regulation of biological processes （9.1%）. Our experimental findings indicate that a protein expression profile database of normal human pituitary can be precisely and efficiently established by proteomics technology.

The sex peptide receptor in the Asian gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar,is involved in development and stress resistance

The G protein-coupled receptor(GPCR)regulates downstream genes by binding to a heterotrimeric G protein.However,the function of sex peptide receptor(SPR)in lepidopteran species is mostly unknown.Understanding the physiological functions of SPR in insects is essential for exploring new insecticidal targets.In the present study,the functions of an SPR in Lymantria dispar(Asian gypsy moth;LdSPR)were investigated.The expression of LdSPR was the highest in the 6 th instar larval stage,and there was a large difference in expression between male and female adults.After LdSPR gene silencing,L.dispar larvae showed increased sensitivity to high temperature,starvation,and oxidative stress,indicating that LdSPR enhances stress resistance.These results enrich our knowledge of the function of the insect SPRs,which will lead to a better understanding of other insect GPCR family members and the identification of new targets for the development of environmentally friendly pesticides.

Clinical manifestations and gene analysis of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome:A case report

BACKGROUND This case report describes a child with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome(HGPS,OMIM:176670)caused by LMNA(OMIM:150330)gene mutation,and we have previously analyzed the clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics of this case.After 1-year treatment and follow-up,we focus on analyzing the changes in the clinical manifestations and genetic diagnosis of the patient.CASE SUMMARY In April 2020,a 2-year-old boy with HGPS was found to have an abnormal appearance,and growth and development lagged behind those of children of the same age.The child’s weight did not increase normally,the veins of the head were clearly visible,and he had shallow skin color and sparse yellow hair.Peripheral blood DNA samples obtained from the patient and his parents were sequenced using high-throughput whole-exosome sequencing,which was verified by Sanger sequencing.The results showed that there was a synonymous heterozygous mutation of C.1824 C>T(P.G608G)in the LMNA gene.CONCLUSION Mutation of the LMNA gene provides a molecular basis for diagnosis of HGPS and genetic counseling of the family.

Research Status of Alpha Linolenic Acid(ALA) and Its Application Advances in Livestock and Poultry Production

Alpha linolenic acid （ ALA）, a kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid extracted from plants and fruits, has a variety of biological functions. In recent years, ALA has attracted much attention as a natural green feed additive. The physical and chemical properties, metabolic process, physiological function of ALA as well as its application and mechanisms in livestock and poultry production are summarized in the paper.

Physiological function and application of dietary fiber in pig nutrition:A review

Dietary fiber(DF),divided into soluble dietary fiber(SDF)and insoluble dietary fiber(IDF),has attracted increasing attention in the field of pig nutrition.Although DF reduces nutrient digestibility and inhibits energy deposition in most cases,fiber-rich feeds have been widely used in pig diets.This is not only because of lower feed costs,but also from the continuous discovery about the nutritional value of DF,mainly including the improvement of piglet intestinal health and sow reproductive performance.The addition timing has also been further considered,which potentially enables the nutritional value of DF to be accurately used in applicable pig models.Furthermore,fiber degrading enzymes have been shown to alleviate the anti-nutritional effects of DF and have ensured the improvement effect of fiber on intestinal health in young piglet models.However,the regulatory effect of fiber on pork quality is still unclear,which requires consideration of the wide range of fiber sources and the complexity of the basic diet composition,as well as the impact of pig breeds.Taken together,future research needs to gain more insight into the combined effects of SDF and IDF,processing methods,and addition timing to improve the nutritional value of DF,and further explore the physiological functions and regulatory mechanisms of DF fermentation products short-chain fatty acids in pigs.

Changes of the colonic physiologic functions after colonic anastomosis with a degradable stent in a porcine model

Background A new procedure of colonic anastomosis with a degradable stent has already been proven to be simple, feasible, and safe in our porcine model. In this study, we evaluated its impact on the colonic physiologic functions. Methods A total of 20 pigs were assigned randomly to either a stent anastomosis group （SA, n=10） or a conventional anastomosis group （CA, n=10）. Colonic anastomosis with a degradable stent was performed in the SA group, and conventional hand-sewn anastomosis was performed in the CA group. Body weight, fecal weight, total colonic transit time, immunohistochemistry staining of interstitial cells of Cajal （ICC）, plasma diamine oxidases （DAO） levels, and Western blotting analysis of occludin were evaluated before and after anastomosis. Results No obvious diarrhea or constipation was observed in all pigs. No significant difference in body weight between the groups was detected at any time. Yet, the fecal weight was less in the CA group compared with the SA group on postoperative day （POD） 7. No observable colonic paralysis or retention occurred. For total colonic transit time, there was no significant difference between the two groups at any time or among different time points in the same group. The integrated optical density of ICC showed no significant difference on either POD 14 or 30. The plasma DAO levels were remarkably elevated after surgery, and began to decrease since POD 3. However, there was no significant difference between both two groups in plasma DAO levels at any time either. For both groups, the expression of occludin was not significantly different from their pre-surgery level on either POD 14 or 30. Conclusions According to these results, this procedure with a degradable stent was supposed to be the same as the conventional hand-sewn procedure in their impact on the colonic physiologic functions.

DSEMR: A database for special environment microorganisms resource and associating them with synthetic biological parts

Special environmental microorganisms are considered to be of great industrial application value because of their special genotypes,physiological functions and metabolites.The research and development of special environmental microorganisms will certainly bring about some innovations in biotechnology processes and change the face of bioengineering.The Special Environmental Microbial Database(DSEMR)is a comprehensive database that provides information on special environmental microbial resources and correlates them with synthetic biological parts.DSEMR aggregates information on specific environmental microbial genomes,physiological properties,culture media,biological parts,and metabolic pathways,and provides online tool analysis data,including 5268 strains from 620 genera,31 media,and 42,126 biological parts.In short,DSEMR will become an important resource for the study of microorganisms in special environments and actively promote the development of synthetic biology.

A self-fused hydrogel for the treatment of glottic insufficiency through outstanding durability,extracellular matrix-inducing bioactivity and function preservation

Injection laryngoplasty with biomaterials is an effective technique to treat glottic insufficiency.However,the inadequate durability,deficient pro-secretion of extracellular matrix(ECM)and poor functional preservation of current biomaterials have yielded an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect.Herein,a self-fusing bioactive hydrogel comprising modified carboxymethyl chitosan and sodium alginate is developed through a dual-crosslinking mechanism(photo-triggered and dynamic covalent bonds).Owing to its characteristic networks,the synergistic effect of the hydrogel for vocal folds(VFs)vibration and phonation is adequately demonstrated.Notably,owing to its inherent bioactivity of polysaccharides,the hydrogel could significantly enhance the secretion of major components(type I/III collagen and elastin)in the lamina propria of the VFs both in vivo and in vitro.In a rabbit model for glottic insufficiency,the optimized hydrogel(C1A1)has demonstrated a durability far superior to that of the commercially made hyaluronic acid(HA)Gel.More importantly,owing to the ECM-inducing bioactivity,the physiological functions of the VFs treated with the C1A1 hydrogel also outperformed that of the HA Gel,and were similar to those of the normal VFs.Taken together,through a simple-yet-effective strategy,the novel hydrogel has demonstrated outstanding durability,ECM-inducing bioactivity and physiological function preservation,therefore has an appealing clinical value for treating glottic insufficiency.

Current and near-term advances in Earth observation for ecological applications

There is an unprecedented array of new satellite technologies with capabilities for advancing our understanding of ecological processes and the changing composition of the Earth’s biosphere at scales from local plots to the whole planet.We identified 48 instruments and 13 platforms with multiple instruments that are of broad interest to the environmental sciences that either collected data in the 2000s,were recently launched,or are planned for launch in this decade.We have restricted our review to instruments that primarily observe terrestrial landscapes or coastal margins and are available under free and open data policies.We focused on imagers that passively measure wavelengths in the reflected solar and emitted thermal spectrum.The suite of instruments we describe measure land surface characteristics,including land cover,but provide a more detailed monitoring of ecosystems,plant communities,and even some species then possible from historic sensors.The newer instruments have potential to greatly improve our understanding of ecosystem functional relationships among plant traits like leaf mass area(LMA),total nitrogen content,and leaf area index(LAI).They provide new information on physiological processes related to photosynthesis,transpiration and respiration,and stress detection,including capabilities to measure key plant and soil biophysical properties.These include canopy and soil temperature and emissivity,chlorophyll fluorescence,and biogeochemical contents like photosynthetic pigments(e.g.,chlorophylls,carotenoids,and phycobiliproteins from cyanobacteria),water,cellulose,lignin,and nitrogen in foliar proteins.These data will enable us to quantify and characterize various soil properties such as iron content,several types of soil clays,organic matter,and other components.Most of these satellites are in low Earth orbit(LEO),but we include a few in geostationary orbit(GEO)because of their potential to measure plant physiological traits over diurnal periods,improving estimates of water and carbon budgets.We also include a few spaceborne active LiDAR and radar imagers designed for quantifying surface topography,changes in surface structure,and 3-dimensional canopy properties such as height,area,vertical profiles,and gap structure.We provide a description of each instrument and tables to summarize their characteristics.Lastly,we suggest instrument synergies that are likely to yield improved results when data are combined.

Emotion detection on webpages using biosensors integrated to a window-based dynamic control system

Purpose-Detecting emotion on user experience of web applications and browsing is important in many ways.Web designers and developers find such approach quite useful in enhancing navigational features of webpages,and biomedical personnel regularly use computer simulations to monitor and control the behaviour of patients.On the other hand,law enforcement agents rely on human physiological functions to determine the likelihood of falsehood in interrogations.Quite often,online user experience is studied via tangible measures such as task completion time,surveys and comprehensive tests from which data attributes are generated.Prediction of users’emotion and behaviour in some of these cases depends mostly on task completion time and number of clicks per given time interval.However,such approaches are generally subjective and rely heavily on distributional assumptions making the results prone to recording errors.Design/methodology/approach-The authors propose a novel method-a window dynamic control system that addresses the foregoing issues.Primary data were obtained from laboratory experiments during which forty-four volunteers had their synchronised physiological readings,skin conductance response(SCR),skin temperature(ST),eye movement behaviour and users’activity attributes taken using biosensors.The windowbased dynamic control system(PHYCOB I)is integrated to the biosensor which collects secondary data attributes from these synchronised physiological readings and uses them for two purposes.For both detection of optimal emotional responses and users’stress levels.The method’s novelty derives from its ability to integrate physiological readings and eye movement records to identify hidden correlates on a webpage.Findings-Results show that the control system detects basic emotions and outperforms other conventional models in terms of both accuracy and reliability,when subjected to model comparison that is,the average recoverable natural structures for the three models with respect to accuracy and reliability are more consistent within the window-based control system environment than with the conventional methods.Research limitations/implications-The paper is limited to using a window control system to detect emotions on webpages,while integrated to biosensors and eye-tracker.Originality/value-The originality of the proposed model is its resistance to overfitting and its ability to automatically assess human emotion(stress levels)while dealing with specific web contents.The latter is particularly important in that it can be used to predict which contents of webpages cause stress-induced emotions to users when involved in online activities.

A 60-year journey of mycorrhizal research in China:Past,present and future directions

The significance of mycorrhizas(fungal roots in 90% of land plants) in plant nutrient acquisition and growth,element biogeo-chemical cycling and maintaining of terrestrial ecosystem structures has been globally established for more than 120 years.Great progress in mycorrhizal research in the past 60 years(1950-2009,1981-2009 in particular) has also been made across China,particularly in the mainland,Hong Kong and Taiwan.For instance,a total of 20 new and ~120 records of arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungal species,30 new and ~800 records of ectomycorrhizal(EM) fungal species,a dozen of new and ~100 records of orchid mycorrhizal(OM) fungal species have been isolated by morphological observation and/or molecular identification in China since the 1950s.Great accomplishment has also been made in the following area,including fungal species richness and genetic structure,relationships between species composition and plant taxa,effects of mycorrhizal fungi on plant nutrient uptake and growth,resistances to pathogens and interactions with other soil microorganisms,potential of mycorrhizal fungi in phytoremediation and/or land reclamation,alterations of enzymatic activities in mycorrhizal plants,and elevated CO2 and O3 on root colonization and species diversity.Unfortunately,the international community cannot easily appreciate almost all Chinese mycorrhizal studies since the vast majority of them have been published in Chinese and/or in China-based journals.The aim of this review is to make a comprehensive exposure of the past and present China's major mycorrhizal research to the whole world,and then to suggest potential directions for the enhancement of future mycorrhizal research within and/or between the Chinese and international mycorrhizal community.

Impact on Soldiers' Work Efficiency at High Altitude

Harsh plateau environment, including hypobaric hypoxia, low temperature, solar radiation and high ultraviolet intensity, exerts great influences on soldier's neuropsychological function and physiological function. China's evaluation on plateau soldier's performance mainly focuses on the valuation of physical ability.Comparatively, few attention is paid on the changes of individual neuropsychological function, which refer to the changes of soldiers' emotion, psychological activity, and cognitive function, including perception, memory, thinking ability and attention.Therefore, when setting the criterion to evaluate the performance of plateau soldiers,impacts from both neuropsychological and physical elements should be involved.

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals regional specialization of gene expression in larval silkworm(Bombyx mori)midgut

Insect midgut plays a central role in food digestion and nutrition absorption.Larval silkworm midgut could be divided into 3 distinct regions based on their morphological colors.However,it remains rudimentary of regional gene expression and physiological function in larval silkworm midgut.Through transcriptome sequencing of 3 midgut compartments,a comprehensive analysis of gene expression atlas along the anterior–posterior axis was conducted.Posterior midgut was found transcriptionally divergent from anterior and middle midgut.Differentially expressed gene analysis revealed the regional specialization of digestive enzyme production,transmembrane transport,chitin metabolism,and hormone regulation in different midgut regions.In addition,gene subsets of pan-midgut and region-specific transcription factors(TFs)along the length of midgut were also identified.The results suggested that homeobox TFs might play an essential role in transcriptional variations across the midgut.Altogether,our study provided the first fundamental resource to investigate physiological function and regulation mechanism in larval midgut compartmentalization.

The interaction between dietary marine components and intestinal flora

The intestine is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community,which perform vital metabolic and immune functions that significantly effect the nutritional and health status of the host.The major physiological functions of intestinal flora include metabolic activities that lead to important trophic effects on immune structure and function as well as protection of the colonized host against invasion by transient microbes.The intestinal flora is both a target for nutritional intervention and a factor influencing the biological activity of food compounds acquired orally.Marine environments,as a source of diverse organic compounds,can supply us with a number of beneficial and health-promoting ingredients.This review focuses on the physiological functions of intestinal flora and reciprocal interactions between intestinal flora and dietary marine components including polysaccharides,lipids,protein,taurine,carotenoids,minerals,and polyphenols.This review can serve as a valuable reference regarding the consumption of seafood and marine nutraceuticals.