Microbiomics and metabolomics insights into the microbial regulation on the formation of flavor components in the traditional fermentation process of Chinese Hongqu aged vinegar

This study aimed to investigate microbial succession and metabolic dynamics during the traditional fermentation of Hongqu aged vinegar,and explore the core functional microbes closely related to the formation of flavor components.Microbiome analysis demonstrated that Lactobacillus,Acetobacter,Bacillus,Enterobacter,Lactococcus,Leuconostoc and Weissella were the predominant bacterial genera,while Aspergillus piperis,Aspergillus oryzae,Monascus purpureus,Candida athensensis,C.xylopsoci,Penicillium ochrosalmoneum and Simplicillium aogashimaense were the predominant fungal species.Correlation analysis revealed that Acetobacter was positively correlated with the production of tetramethylpyrazine,acetoin and acetic acid,Lactococcus showed positive correlation with the production of 2-nonanone,2-heptanone,ethyl caprylate,ethyl caprate,1-hexanol,1-octanol and 1-octen-3-ol,C.xylopsoci and C.rugosa were positively associated with the production of diethyl malonate,2,3-butanediyl diacetate,acetoin,benzaldehyde and tetramethylpyrazine.Correspondingly,non-volatile metabolites were also detected through ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.A variety of amino acids and functional dipeptides were identified during the traditional brewing of Hongqu aged vinegar.Correlation analysis revealed that Lactobacillus was significantly associated with DL-lactate,indolelactic acid,D-(+)-3-phenyllactic acid,pimelic acid,pregabalin and 3-aminobutanoic acid.This study is useful for understanding flavor formation mechanism and developing effective strategies for the suitable strains selection to improve the flavor quality of Hongqu aged vinegar.

Nutritional Knowledge and Behavior of Professional Athletes in Khorramabad

Today it is proved that the lack of adequate nutritional knowledge leads to problems such as obesity, overweight and increased cardiovascular diseases. However, many obstacles such as poor financial support, lack of time and poor nutritional knowledge can influence achievement of optimal nutrition which is proportional to the level of the athlete＇s physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of nutritional knowledge and dietary behavior of athletes in Khorramabad in 2013. Professional athletes of Khorramabad, Iran, with more than one year of regular exercise and at least one course participating in national championships competitions were studied in this cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study. The samples included 247 athletes aged 17-29 years. Their nutritional knowledge and behavior were measured by the nutritional knowledge and behavior inventory. Results： The results showed a significant difference in nutritional knowledge of athletes by gender and educational level; female athletes have higher nutritional knowledge than male athletes. A gender-dependent difference was found in nutritional behavior; despite their higher nutritional knowledge, female athletes have weaker nutritional behavior than male athletes. However, no significant correlation was found between BMI and nutritional knowledge and behavior of the athletes. Moreover, findings showed that nutritional knowledge and behavior could be significantly different in various sports.

Prevention of fatal hepatic complication in schistosomiasis by inhibition of CETP

Schistosoma japonicum, once endemic all the East Asia, remains as a serious public health problem in certain regions. Ectopic egg embryonation in the liver causes granulomatosis and eventually fatal cirrhosis, so that prevention of this process is one of the keys to reduce its mortality. The embryonation requires cholesteryl ester from HDL of the host blood for egg yolk formation, and this reaction is impaired from the abnormal large HDL in genetic cholesteryl ester transfer protein （CETP） deficiency. When CETP was expressed in mice that otherwise lack this protein, granulomatosis of the liver was shown increased compared to the wild type upon infec- tion of Schistosoma japonicum. The CETP deficiencies accumulated exclusively in East Asia, from Indochina to Siberia, so that Shistosomiasis can be a screening factor for this accumulation. CD36 related protein （CD36RP） was identified as a protein for this reaction, cloned from the cDNA library of Schistosoma japonicum with 1880-bp encoding 506 amino acids. The antibody against the extracellular loop of CD36RP inhibited cholesteryl ester uptake from HDL and suppressed egg embryonation in culture. Therefore, inhibition of CETP is a potential approach to prevent liver granulomatosis and thereby fatal liver cirrhosis in the infection of Schistosoma japonicum.

Resveratrol downregulates TGF-β1 and Smad3 expression and attenuates oxidative stress in CCl_4-induced kidney damage in rats

Objective:To evaluate the effect of resveratrol against CCl4-induced nephrotoxicity.Methods:Forty-two male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups randomly.After six weeks,kidney weight,body weight,blood urea,serum creatinine,oxidative stress markers,and gene expression of renal transforming growth factor-beta1(TGF-β1),TGF-βreceptor type 1(TGF-βR1)and Smad3 were determined.In addition,the protein level of TGF-β1 in the tissue lysate was measured.Results:Resveratrol had a protective role in renal tissue by the improvement of antioxidant balance and reduction of renal parameters such as creatinine and urea(P<0.001).In addition,the renal m RNA level of TGF-β1,TGF-βR1,Smad3,as well as the protein level of TGF-β1 were decreased in rats treated with resveratrol(P<0.001),compared to the CCl4 group.Conclusions:Overall,resveratrol shows a protective effect against nephrotoxicity in CCl4 treated rats by reducing oxidative stress status and modulating the TGF-βsignaling.

Effects of L-arginine supplementation on glycemic profile: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials

Background:The effects of l-arginine supplementation on indices of glycemic control and the role of many factors influencing this intervention have been controversial in clinical trials.Objective:This meta-analysis was performed to assess the effects of l-arginine supplementation on indices of glycemic control,including fasting blood glucose(FBG),hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),serum insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)levels in randomized controlled trials(RCTs).Search strategy:This study conducted a systematic review of RCTs published in PubMed,Scopus,Web of Science,Cochrane Library and Embase,up to 5 May,2018.Inclusion criteria:Studies were included in this meta-analysis if they were RCTs with parallel design and reported sufficient data on participants before and after intervention,and outcomes of glycemic profile parameters in both the arginine supplementation and control groups.Data extraction and analysis:The screening of titles and abstracts was performed independently by two reviewers.Selected articles were considered if they met the study’s inclusion criteria.The quality of included studies was assessed by using the Cochrane Collaboration modified tool.From 710 articles retrieved in the initial search,only 10 trials were suitable for pooling the effects of arginine supplementation on serum glucose,insulin,HOMA-IR and HbA1c levels,with effect sizes of nine,eight,five and five,respectively.Results:Pooled random-effect analysis revealed that l-arginine supplementation could significantly decrease FBG level(weighted mean difference[WMD]:3.35 mg/dL;95%confidence interval[CI]=[−6.55,−0.16];P=0.04)and serum insulin level(WMD:−2.19μIU/mL;95%CI=[−3.70,−0.67];P=0.005).However,the effects of l-arginine supplementation on HOMA-IR and HbA1c were not significant.Results of subgroup analysis showed that supplementation with l-arginine could significantly decrease serum insulin levels when the dosage of l-arginine is>6.5 g/d(WMD:−3.49μIU/mL;95%CI=[−5.59,−1.38];P=0.001),when the duration of supplementation is≤12.8 weeks(WMD:−3.76;95%CI=[−6.50,−0.98];P=0.008),when the participants are not diabetic patients(WMD:−2.54μIU/mL;95%CI=[−4.50,−0.50];P=0.01)and when the baseline serum level of insulin was>20μIU/mL(WMD:−3.98;95%CI=[−6.31,−1.65];P=0.001).Conclusion:Although the results of this study confirmed that supplementation with l-arginine could have significant effects on some glycemic profile indices of participants in clinical trials,the clinical importance of this reduction may not be meaningful.