Laccase/caffeic acid-catalyzed crosslinking coupled with galactomannan alters the conformational structure of ovalbumin and alleviates Th2-mediated allergic asthma

Ovalbumin(OVA)is the major allergenic protein that can induce T helper 2(Th2)-allergic reactions,for which current treatment options are inadequate.In this study,we developed a polymerized hypoallergenic OVA product via laccase/caffeic acid(Lac/CA)-catalyzed crosslinking in conjunction with galactomannan(Man).The formation of high molecular weight crosslinked polymers and the Ig G-binding were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE)and Western blotting.The study indicated that Lac/CA-catalyzed crosslinking plus Man conjugation substantially altered secondary and tertiary structures of OVA along with the variation in surface hydrophobicity.Gastrointestinal digestion stability assay indicated that crosslinked OVA exhibited less resistance in simulated gastric fluid(SGF)and simulated intestinal fluid(SIF).Mouse model study indicated that Lac-Man/OVA ameliorated eosinophilic airway inflammatory response and efficiently downregulated the expression of Th2-related cytokines(interleukin(IL)-4,IL-5,and IL-13),and upregulated IFN-γand IL-10 expression.Stimulation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells with Lac-Man/OVA suppressed the expression of phenotypic maturation markers(CD80 and CD86)and MHC class II molecules,and suppressed the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines.The knowledge obtained in the present study offers an effective way to acquire a hypoallergenic OVA product that can have a therapeutic effect in alleviating OVA-induced allergic asthma.

The Law of Marine Fishing:Challenges and Coping Strategies for Sustainable Marine Fishing in Ghana

Waters off the coasts of West Africa are very rich with many different types of fish and marine life.Some species like sardines,tuna,mackerel,tilapia and shrimps are important to many local communities and economies in West Africa.However,the current overfishing of these fish affects the sustainability of fishery industry.Despite Ghana ratifying to a number of international marine laws to ensure a sustainable marine fishing,there seem to be some challenges that are associated with marine fishing in Ghana.This paper further examines the strategies that have been employed by the fishing community and the fisheries ministry in Ghana as a response to restrictive measures for the challenges identified and discussed in literature.This paper is fundamentally an extensive review of marine fisheries literature.In general terms,it was found that,Ghana has ratified to a number of international marine laws including the UNCLOS.

A Comparison Study on the Passives Used by Natives Based on BNC Corpus

With the development of computer science, corpus linguistics emerges as the times require. Since 1980 s, scholars at home and abroad have been committed to the construction and exploration of corpus, and have started a new era of corpus. Corpus can be seen as a storehouse to deposit the linguistic materials. It is a database, a scientifically organized collection of linguistic materials. In the language application, those linguistic materials can be both written and oral, are produced in a natural way. These raw materials are used to observe and grasp language facts, which are regarded as the first-hand data for the analysis and research of language rules. In this study, the author intends to achieve two main aims. The first is to investigate whether there are some differences in using the passives by native speakers when they write and speak, and whether such differences are statistically significant. The second is to investigate whether there are some differences in using the passives in native speakers' formal writings and informal writings, and whether such differences are statistically significant.