Screening of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains for Potential Sourdough and Bread Applications: Enzyme Expression and Exopolysaccharide Production.

Twenty-eight strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were characterized for the ability to express enzymes of interest (including protease, xylanase, α-amylase, laccase, and glucose oxidase) as well as the ability to produce exopolysaccharide (EPS). The screening of enzyme capability for all LAB strains proceeded in a progressive 3-stage manner that helps to profile the efficiency of LAB strains in expressing chosen enzymes (Stage 1), highlights the strains with affinity for flour as the substrate (Stage 2), and discerns strains that can adapt well in a simulated starter environment (Stage 3). The theoretical ability of LAB to express these enzymes was also assessed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis to identify the underlying genes in the whole genome sequence.

Semi-Supervised Learning for Multi-Label Cardiovascular Diseases Prediction: A Multi-Dataset Study.

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a non-invasive tool for predicting cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Current ECG-based diagnosis systems show promising performance owing to the rapid development of deep learning techniques. However, the label scarcity problem, the co-occurrence of multiple CVDs and the poor performance on unseen datasets greatly hinder the widespread application of deep learning-based models.

Heat Shock Factor A1s are required for phytochrome-interacting factor 4-mediated thermomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

Thermomorphogenesis and the heat shock (HS) response are distinct thermal responses in plants that are regulated by PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) and HEAT SHOCK FACTOR A1s (HSFA1s), respectively. Little is known about whether these responses are interconnected and whether they are activated by similar mechanisms. An analysis of transcriptome dynamics in response to warm temperature (28°C) treatment revealed that 30 min of exposure activated the expression of a subset of HSFA1 target genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Epithelial lining fluid concentrations of ceftriaxone in children with community-acquired pneumonia.

Ceftriaxone is widely used in children with community-acquired pneumonia. Currently, there are no available data regarding epithelial lining fluid (ELF) concentrations of ceftriaxone in children. Thus, blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids samples were collected by using an opportunistic sampling design, then we determined plasma and ELF concentrations in 22 children (0.

The SWGEDWGEIW from Soybean Peptides Reduce Oxidative Damage-Mediated Apoptosis in PC-12 Cells by Activating SIRT3/FOXO3a Signaling Pathway.

The goal of the investigation was to study the protective effects of the SWGEDWGEIW (the single peptide, TSP) from soybean peptides (SBP) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis together with mitochondrial dysfunction in PC-12 cells and their possible implications to protection mechanism. Meanwhile, the SBP was used as a control experiment. The results suggested that SBP and TSP significantly (p < 0.

Are There Betel Quid Mixtures Less Harmful than Others? A Scoping Review of the Association between Different Betel Quid Ingredients and the Risk of Oral Submucous Fibrosis.

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a potentially malignant condition of the oral cavity characterized by progressive fibrosis of the submucosal tissues. OSF is typically associated with the use of betel quid (BQ), a chewing package made of natural products (e.g.

A Machine Learning Framework to Predict the Tensile Stress of Natural Rubber: Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation Data.

Natural rubber (NR), with its excellent mechanical properties, has been attracting considerable scientific and technological attention. Through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the effects of key structural factors on tensile stress at the molecular level can be examined. However, this high-precision method is computationally inefficient and time-consuming, which limits its application.

A review of bread qualities and current strategies for bread bioprotection: Flavor, sensory, rheological, and textural attributes.

The unequivocal economical and social values of bread as a staple food commodity lead to constant interests in optimizing its postproduction quality and extending its shelf life, which is related to the maintenance and enhancement of flavors and textural properties, and finally, to the delay of microbial spoilage. The latter has been the subject of a multitude of studies and reviews, in which the different approaches and views were discussed. However, variations in bread freshness, flavor, and textural quality are still of concerns for the bread making industry, in conjunction with the expectation from consumers for bread products with high-quality attributes and free of synthetic ingredients that satisfy their pleasure and their sustainable lifestyle.

An adapted LC-MS/MS method for the determination of free plasma concentration of cefoperazone in children: Age-dependent protein binding.

Antimicrobial activity of cefoperazone, a high protein bound cephalosporin, depends on its unbound concentration. However, the protein binding data of cefoperazone in children is limited, making it challenging to optimize antimicrobial therapy in pediatric clinical practice. Furthermore, a validated method to measure the free part in children is unavailable with the small volume of samples that can be obtained.

CXCR7 regulates breast tumor metastasis and angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro.

The chemokine receptor CXCR7 is regarded as a scavenger receptor for CXCL12, and induces numerous key steps in tumor growth and metastasis. However, the exact molecular mechanism of CXCR7 regulation in breast tumor angiogenesis remains unknown. In the present study, the function of CXCR7 in breast tumors was investigated in vitro and in vivo.

A differentially conserved residue (Ile42) of GH42 β-galactosidase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus BgaB is involved in both catalysis and thermostability.

The glycoside hydrolase family 42 (GH42) of thermophilic microorganisms consists of thermostable β-galactosidases that display significant variations in their temperature optima and stabilities. In this study, we compared the substrate binding modes of 2 GH42 β-galactosidases, BgaB from Geobacillus stearothermophilus and A4-β-Gal from Thermus thermophilus A4. The A4-β-Gal has a catalytic triad (Glu312-Arg32-Glu35) with an extended hydrogen bond network that has not been observed in BgaB.

Optimizing lactose hydrolysis by computer-guided modification of the catalytic site of a wild-type enzyme.

Lactose intolerance is a serious global health problem. A lactose hydrolysis enzyme, thermostable β-galactosidase, BgaB (from Geobacillus stearothermophilus) has attracted the attention of industrial biologists because of its potential application in processing lactose-containing products. However, this enzyme experiences galactose product inhibition.

Inhibition of PTEN expression and activity by angiotensin II induces proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells.

PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) is a tumor suppressor and has been suggested recently to be involved in the regulation of cardiovascular diseases. The molecular mechanisms of this regulation are however poorly understood. This study shows that down regulation of PTEN expression and activity by angiotensin II (Ang II) increased proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).