High frequency deep brain stimulation of the dorsal raphe nucleus prevents methamphetamine priming-induced reinstatement of drug seeking in rats.

Drug addiction represents a multifaceted and recurrent brain disorder that possesses the capability to create persistent and ineradicable pathological memory. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown a therapeutic potential for neuropsychological disorders, while the precise stimulation targets and therapeutic parameters for addiction remain deficient. Among the crucial brain regions implicated in drug addiction, the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) has been found to exert an essential role in the manifestation of addiction memory.

Pickering emulsion emulsified using novel cellulose nanofibers significantly lowers the lipid release rate and cellular absorption.

A Pickering emulsion is an emulsion system stabilized by solid particles and represents a promising candidate for emulsifying lipids. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have excellent ability to control the lipid release rate. This study aims to find the optimal formulation for a nanocellulose-stabilized Pickering emulsion that is the most effective in reducing the lipid release rate.

Atmospheric cold plasma reduces Ara h 1 antigenicity in roasted peanuts by altering the protein structure and amino acid profile.

Ara h 1 is the major allergen in peanuts. To enhance the unique flavor, peanuts are usually roasted at high temperatures. However, roasting can increase the allergenic potential, owing to glycation of allergens.

Current and Potential Applications of Atmospheric Cold Plasma in the Food Industry.

The cost-effectiveness and high efficiency of atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) incentivise researchers to explore its potentials within the food industry. Presently, the destructive nature of this nonthermal technology can be utilised to inactivate foodborne pathogens, enzymatic ripening, food allergens, and pesticides. However, by adjusting its parameters, ACP can also be employed in other novel applications including food modification, drying pre-treatment, nutrient extraction, active packaging, and food waste processing.

The Regulatory Role of miR-107-Cdk6-Rb Pathway in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells in Asthma.

Purpose: Airway remodeling is a significant pathological change of asthma. This study aimed to detect differentially expressed microRNAs in the serum of asthma patients and airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) of asthmatic mice, exploring their role in the airway remodeling of asthma.

Methods: The differentially expressed microRNAs in the serum of mild and moderate-severe asthma patients compared to healthy subjects were revealed using the "limma" package.

Mitigating the allergenicity of peanut allergen Ara h 1 by cold atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet.

Background: Peanut allergy is recognized as a major food allergy that triggers severe and even fatal symptoms. Avoidance of peanuts in the diet is the main option for current safety management. Processing techniques reducing peanut allergenicity are required to develop other options.

Applications of atmospheric cold plasma in agricultural, medical, and bioprocessing industries.

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a nonthermal technology that is extensively used in several industries. Within the scopes of engineering and biotechnology, some notable applications of ACP include waste management, material modification, medicine, and agriculture. Notwithstanding numerous applications, ACP still encounters a number of challenges such as diverse types of plasma generators and sizes, causing standardization challenges.

Hyper-excitability of corticothalamic PT neurons in mPFC promotes irritability in the mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are presented as early as the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage. However, it remains unclear whether separate neuronal populations encode distinct aspects of the neuropsychiatric symptoms and drive them differently. Here, we report that pyramidal tract (PT) neurons projecting to the thalamus, but not to the pons or medulla, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the mouse model of AD show increased excitability, which is associated with increased irritability and aggressivity.

Evaluation of detoxified sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate by atmospheric cold plasma for bacterial cellulose production.

Cellulosic waste as a major type of agricultural waste can be acid deconstructed as a carbon source for fermentation application. However, various fermented inhibitors, such as formic acid, furfural, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, are also produced during processing. In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SB) was hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid, and atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) was used to remove the toxic inhibitors.

Producing high quality mung bean sprout using atmospheric cold plasma treatment: better physical appearance and higher γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content.

Background: Germination of mung beans increases the content of dietary fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Atmospheric cold plasma is a recently developed technology that can rapidly modify the surface properties of an object. In this work, atmospheric cold plasma was utilized to promote higher moisture absorption of mung bean seeds and, thus, enhance the germination ratio and GABA level.

Atmospheric cold plasma-assisted pineapple peel waste hydrolysate detoxification for the production of bacterial cellulose.

Toxic compounds in pineapple peel waste hydrolysate (PPWH), namely formic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and furfural, are the major predicament in its utilization as a carbon source for bacterial cellulose (BC) fermentation. A rapid detoxification procedures using atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) technique were employed to reduce the toxic compounds. ACP treatment allows the breakdown of toxic compounds without causing excessive breakdown of sugars.

Enzymatic degradation of ginkgolic acids by laccase immobilized on core/shell FeO/nylon composite nanoparticles using novel coaxial electrospraying process.

Enzyme immobilization can increase enzyme reusability to reduce cost of industrial production. Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is commonly used for medical purposes, but it contains ginkgolic acid, which has negative effects on human health. Here, we report a novel approach to solve the problem by degrading the ginkgolic acid with immobilized-laccase, where core/shell composite nanoparticles prepared by coaxial electrospraying might be first applied to enzyme immobilization.

Enhanced bioethanol production using atmospheric cold plasma-assisted detoxification of sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate.

The current study used acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials to obtain fermentable sugar for bioethanol production. However, toxic compounds that inhibit fermentation are also produced during the process, which reduces the bioethanol productivity. In this study, atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) was adopted to degrade the toxic compounds within sulfuric acid-hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse.

Comprehensive analysis of circRNA expression profiles and circRNA-associated competing endogenous RNA networks in the development of mouse thymus.

The thymus plays an irreplaceable role as a primary lymphoid organ. However, the complicate processes of its development and involution are incompletely understood. Accumulating evidence indicates that non-coding RNAs play key roles in the regulation of biological development.

Enzymatic degradation of ginkgolic acid by laccase immobilized on novel electrospun nanofiber mat.

Background: Ginkgo biloba leaf extract contains many active ingredients that are beneficial for health. However, ginkgolic acid, one of the major components found in G. biloba extract, may cause serious allergic and toxic side effects.

Nanoemulsified adlay bran oil reduces tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in B16F10 cells and zebrafish.

The efficacy of oily components is often difficult to evaluate due to their incompatibility with most models. Here, we emulsified adlay bran oil (ABO), processed it to a nanoscale, and investigated its anti-hyperpigmentation efficacy, assessed for its inhibitory effects against tyrosinase activity and melanin production, in an in vitro system (mouse melanoma B16F10 cells) and an in vivo system (zebrafish embryos). ABO induced dose-dependent reductions in tyrosinase activity and melanin production in both the melanoma cells and zebrafish, without affecting viability.

Effect of novel atmospheric-pressure jet pretreatment on the drying kinetics and quality of white grapes.

Background: Raisin is a popular snack and a common constituent of many foods owing to its good flavor and nutritional value. Conventional drying of grapes can be a slow and energy-consuming process as their waxy surface hinders efficient moisture migration. A drying pretreatment that disrupts the waxy cuticle is usually applied to increase the drying rate.

Synthesize of alginate/chitosan bilayer nanocarrier by CCD-RSM guided co-axial electrospray: A novel and versatile approach.

To improve oral bioavailability of bioactive compounds, nano-scopic carrier systems with multiple layers has become the recent popular trend. The preparation of the nano-sized bilayer system usually requires multiple operations and intense energy input. For better efficiency, co-axial electrospraying was developed as the novel method to manufacture dual-layered nanocarrier.

Oral delivery system enhanced the bioavailability of stilbenes: Resveratrol and pterostilbene.

Stilbenes are a large group of compounds with the C C C skeleton, in which two aromatic rings are connected by an ethylene bridge. Resveratrol and its structural analog, pterostilbene, are by far the two most widely researched stilbenes in terms of their beneficial bioactivities. However, the bioefficacy of these compounds is greatly reduced when consumed orally due to their poor aqueous solubility, which leads to poor bioavailability.

Antiobesity Efficacy of Quercetin-Rich Supplement on Diet-Induced Obese Rats: Effects on Body Composition, Serum Lipid Profile, and Gene Expression.

The antiobesity effects of quercetin-rich supplement (QRS), which contain quercetin, lycopene, taurine, and litchi flower extract, on a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats were investigated. The rats that consume HFD with QRS (185 mg/kg rat) have significantly modulated the final body weights [490 ± 11 (HFD) → 441 ± 11 (HFD+QRS) g], total body fat [112.9 ± 4.

Techniques and methods to study functional characteristics of emulsion systems.

With the growing popularity of the functional food market, bioactive ingredients from natural sources are discovered one after another for their ability to promote better health and prevent chronic diseases. Emulsion, widely occurring in many food systems, has become a popular vehicle to facilitate the incorporation of bioactive components into the food system. Depending on the designated functionality, an emulsion can be developed with various physical and chemical properties.

Optimization of Lactobacillus acidophilus cultivation using taro waste and evaluation of its biological activity.

In this study, taro waste (TW) was utilized for Lactobacillus acidophilus BCRC 14079 cultivation and the anti-tumor and immune-modulatory properties of heat-killed cells (HKCs), cytoplasmic fraction (CF), and exopolysaccharide (EPS) were evaluated. The optimum liquefaction enzyme dosage, temperature, and time determined by Box-Behnken design response surface methodology (BBD-RSM) were 9 mL/L of α-amylase, 79.2 °C, and 5 h of reaction, respectively.

Safety evaluation of tangeretin and the effect of using emulsion-based delivery system: Oral acute and 28-day sub-acute toxicity study using mice.

Polymethoxyflavones, found widely in the peel of citrus fruits, is an emerging group of bioactive compounds with wide arrays of disease prevention functionalities. To understand the potential oral toxicity, tangeretin, being one of the most abundant polymethoxyflavones from natural sources, was used as model compound for the safety evaluation. Acute oral toxicity study was conducted using both male and female mice giving 1000, 2000, or 3000mg/kgbody weight (bw) of tangeretin in oil suspension from single gavage administration.

Viscoelastic Emulsion Improved the Bioaccessibility and Oral Bioavailability of Crystalline Compound: A Mechanistic Study Using in Vitro and in Vivo Models.

The oral bioavailability of hydrophobic compound is usually limited by the poor aqueous solubility in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Various oral formulations were developed to enhance the systemic concentration of such molecules. Moreover, compounds with high melting temperature that appear as insoluble crystals imposed a great challenge to the development of oral vehicle.