Melanoidins are brown colored compounds formed during Maillard reaction. Bread is a staple food for most of the population and is a major source of dietary melanoidins. The objective of this study ...was to investigate physical properties, melanoidin content and antioxidant capacity of white pan bread as related to sugar types and amount as well as baking conditions. Bread crust color, melanoidin content and antioxidant capacity were positively affected by increasing baking time and temperature and sugar amount. Increasing baking time was more effective in enhancing the antioxidant activity compared with increasing baking temperature for all the breads in the same sugar group. Ribose was the most effective in improving the melanoidin content and DPPH radical scavenging activity of bread crust compared with other sugars; however, breads with ribose had smaller loaf volume and harder crumb texture. Color and melanoidin content of bread crust had partial positive relationship with the antioxidant capacity of the white pan bread. Overall, breads with sucrose or fructose had a good balance of loaf volume and antioxidant capacities. This study provides useful information towards understanding and manipulating MRPs formation to maximize antioxidant potential in bread products.
•Breads with fructose or sucrose had larger loaf volume and softer crumb texture.•Antioxidant activity of bread crust was enhanced with the addition of sugars.•Antioxidant activity increased with baking time, temperature or sugar amount.•Browning intensity only partially responsible for bread antioxidant capacity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
A novel colorimetric/fluorescent dual-mode nanosensor for Hg
2+
detection was constructed using expanded mesoporous silica (EMSN)-encapsulated ultrasmall platinum nanoclusters (EMSN@Pt NCs) with ...improved peroxidase-like and stable fluorescent activities. The sensing technique was based on the mechanism that the peroxidase mimetic activity and fluorescence intensity of EMSN@Pt NCs can be inhibited in the presence of Hg
2+
. In this sensing platform, a linear range of 5–50 nM with a detection limit of 1.78±0.38 nM and quantification limit of 5.93 nM was obtained via fluorescent analysis. A linear calibration curve from 0.25 to 200 nM with a detection limit of 8.25±0.51 nM and quantification limit of 27.47 nM was achieved via colorimetric analysis. The proposed dual-mode probe possesses excellent selectivity and reliability for Hg
2+
detection, which can function as an efficient nanosensor for the quantitative determination of Hg
2+
in
Pueraria lobata
.
Graphical abstract
Bimetallic Au@Pt nanorods showed enhancement in bacterial affinity and photothermal bactericidal efficiency under NIR irradiation.
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•Photothermal lysis is a good method for killing ...bacteria in the environment.•Au@Pt NRs were composed by single crystalline Pt nanodots covered on Au NRs.•The photothermal efficiency of Au@Pt NRs can be tuned by the Pt nanodot loading.•Au@Pt NRs facilitated the interaction with bacteria due to the Pt decoration.•Au@Pt NRs present a good effect on killing bacteria, as compared to Au NRs.
Photothermal lysis is an effective method for fast removal of pathogenic bacteria from bacterial contaminated environments and human body, irrespective of bacterial drug resistance. In the present work, a highly effective photothermal agent, Au@Pt nanorods (NRs), was prepared by modification of Pt nanodots with particle size of 5nm on the surface of Au NRs with a length of ca. 41nm and a width of ca. 13nm. The LSPR absorbance band of Au@Pt NRs could be tuned from 755 to 845nm by changing the Pt loading from 0.05 to 0.2, as compared to Au NRs. The photothermal conversion efficiency of Au@Pt NRs depended on the Pt loading, Au@Pt NRs concentration, and power density. Under NIR irradiation, the Au@Pt0.1 NRs exhibited the highest efficiency in photothermal lysis of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The introduction of Pt nanodots on the surface of Au@Pt NRs not only enhanced their photothermal conversions but also enhanced their affinity to bacteria and significantly decreased their cytotoxicity. The photothermal lysis of bacteria over Au@Pt NRs caused the damage onto the cell walls of bacteria, implying that the killing of bacteria probably went through the thermal ablation mechanism.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Understanding soybean (Glycine max) domestication and improvement at a genetic level is important to inform future efforts to further improve a crop that provides the world's main source of oilseed. ...We detect 230 selective sweeps and 162 selected copy number variants by analysis of 302 resequenced wild, landrace and improved soybean accessions at >11× depth. A genome-wide association study using these new sequences reveals associations between 10 selected regions and 9 domestication or improvement traits, and identifies 13 previously uncharacterized loci for agronomic traits including oil content, plant height and pubescence form. Combined with previous quantitative trait loci (QTL) information, we find that, of the 230 selected regions, 96 correlate with reported oil QTLs and 21 contain fatty acid biosynthesis genes. Moreover, we observe that some traits and loci are associated with geographical regions, which shows that soybean populations are structured geographically. This study provides resources for genomics-enabled improvements in soybean breeding.
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IJS, NUK, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Key message
The AATCA motif was identified to respond pathogens infection in the promoter of defense-related gene
Os2H16
. OsbHLH057 bound to the motif to positively regulate rice disease resistance ...and drought tolerance.
Sheath blight (ShB), caused by the necrotrophic fungus
Rhizoctonia solani
, is a devastating disease in rice (
Oryza sativa
L.). The transcriptional regulation of host defense-related genes in response to
R. solani
infection is poorly understood. In this study, we identified a
cis
-element, AATCA, in the promoter of
Os2H16
, a previously identified multifaceted defense-related gene in rice that responded to fungal attack. Using a DNA pull-down assay coupled with mass spectrometry, a basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor OsbHLH057 was determined to interact with the AATCA
cis
-element.
OsbHLH057
was rapidly induced by
R. solani
,
Xanthomonas oryzae
pv.
oryzae
(
Xoo
), and osmotic stress. Furthermore, overexpressing
OsbHLH057
enhanced rice disease resistance and drought tolerance, while knocking out
OsbHLH057
made rice more susceptible to pathogens and drought. Overall, our results uncovered an OsbHLH057 and AATCA module that synergistically regulates the expression of
Os2H16
in response to
R. solani
,
Xoo
, and drought in conjunction with the previously identified stress-related OsASR2 and GT-1 module.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
•A multifunctional single cell analysis platform for microoperation, microspectroscopy and microimaging was built.•We use the characteristic and controllable modification method of the laser induced ...deposition on the surface of fiber tip.•Cancer cell has a higher intracellular pH than the extracellular pH while the normal cell has a contrary trend.
The accurate detection of intracellular and extracellular microenvironment at single cell is important for deep understanding of complicated cellular physiological activities, such as exploring organelle structures, and revealing the spatial heterogeneity of intracellular chemical components. Here, we built a single cell analysis platform by using a silver nanoparticles decorated optical fiber tip (diameter less than 500 nm) integrated with microoperation, microspectroscopy and microimaging, working for light propagation, sensing, cell manipulation, and in-situ spectroscopy and imaging, especially for exploring the subcellular microenvironment of a single cell. In view of the flexibility of fiber tip, the silver nanoparticles and the pH sensitive Raman reporters were both modified on the fiber tip surface by the one-step laser-induced Ag deposition method, and this optical fiber sensor was used for the accurate intracellular and extracellular pH detections by the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method. Cell heterogeneity according to their different pH microenvironments was disclosed by this optical fiber-based single cell analysis platform and it is also promising in learning biological processes within single cell, as well as monitoring intracellular responses during various external stimuli and therapies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Introduction:
Deep Learning (DL) is a machine learning technique that uses deep neural networks to create a model. The application areas of deep learning in radiation oncology include image ...segmentation and detection, image phenotyping, and radiomic signature discovery, clinical outcome prediction, image dose quantification, dose-response modeling, radiation adaptation, and image generation. In this review, we explain the methods used in DL and perform a literature review using the Medline database to identify studies using deep learning in radiation oncology. The search was conducted in April 2018, and identified studies published between 1997 and 2018, strongly skewed toward 2015 and later.
Methods:
A literature review was performed using PubMed/Medline in order to identify important recent publications to be synthesized into a review of the current status of Deep Learning in radiation oncology, directed at a clinically-oriented reader. The search strategy included the search terms “radiotherapy” and “deep learning.” In addition, reference lists of selected articles were hand searched for further potential hits of relevance to this review. The search was conducted in April 2018, and identified studies published between 1997 and 2018, strongly skewed toward 2015 and later.
Results:
Studies using DL for image segmentation were identified in Brain (
n
= 2), Head and Neck (
n
= 3), Lung (
n
= 6), Abdominal (
n
= 2), and Pelvic (
n
= 6) cancers. Use of Deep Learning has also been reported for outcome prediction, such as toxicity modeling (
n
= 3), treatment response and survival (
n
= 2), or treatment planning (
n
= 5).
Conclusion:
Over the past few years, there has been a significant number of studies assessing the performance of DL techniques in radiation oncology. They demonstrate how DL-based systems can aid clinicians in their daily work, be it by reducing the time required for or the variability in segmentation, or by helping to predict treatment outcomes and toxicities. It still remains to be seen when these techniques will be employed in routine clinical practice.
Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) is one of the most important oil and protein crops. Ever-increasing soybean consumption necessitates the improvement of varieties for more efficient production. ...However, both correlations among different traits and genetic interactions among genes that affect a single trait pose a challenge to soybean breeding.
To understand the genetic networks underlying phenotypic correlations, we collected 809 soybean accessions worldwide and phenotyped them for two years at three locations for 84 agronomic traits. Genome-wide association studies identified 245 significant genetic loci, among which 95 genetically interacted with other loci. We determined that 14 oil synthesis-related genes are responsible for fatty acid accumulation in soybean and function in line with an additive model. Network analyses demonstrated that 51 traits could be linked through the linkage disequilibrium of 115 associated loci and these links reflect phenotypic correlations. We revealed that 23 loci, including the known Dt1, E2, E1, Ln, Dt2, Fan, and Fap loci, as well as 16 undefined associated loci, have pleiotropic effects on different traits.
This study provides insights into the genetic correlation among complex traits and will facilitate future soybean functional studies and breeding through molecular design.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in drug-induced cytotoxicity by regulating cell signaling, inducing oxidative stress, and damaging the DNA and proteins. Examining ROS production in cells ...under the stimulation of chemotherapeutic drugs is of great importance for understanding the ROS roles and identifying the mechanism of drug-induced cytotoxicity. Here, a silver/gold (Ag/Au) nanoshell-based colorimetric and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) dual-response nanoprobe was proposed for ROS sensing on the basis of Ag etching. In this study, as a kind of ROS, hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
) was detected by the prepared nanoprobe. The linear ranges of 0.5–100 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.343 μM for the colorimetric determination and 1–50 μM with LOD of 0.294 μM for SERS determination were achieved. The detection of cellular ROS concentration after stimulation by cisplatin, paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil was validated by the nanoprobe. The nanoprobe could also be used to detect the signal pathway of ROS production by cisplatin stimulation. This study provided a simple and novel dual-response nanoplatform for detecting and monitoring ROS in cells, which holds great potential for elucidating the mechanism of occurrence and treatment of ROS-involved diseases.
Graphical abstract
Subcellular organelles, for example, nucleus, mitochondria, and lysosome, are the vital organelles with responsibilities that maintain cell operation and metabolism. Owing to their roles in energy ...production and programmed cell death, these organelles have become prime therapeutic targets in different diseases and states. In this study, biocompatible, organelle-targeting nanoprobes were developed by modifying gold nanorods (AuNRs) with specific targeting peptides. These nanoprobes were employed to directly profile subcellular biomolecules and vital organelles by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. Macromolecular spectral profiles of subcellular organelles were achieved and compared. Further, these organelle-targeting AuNRs were used for the photothermal treatment of cancer cells (HepG2, HeLa, and MCF-7 cell lines). The cell viability assays show that the nucleus- and mitochondria-targeting AuNRs provide higher photothermal efficiencies under an 808 nm laser relative to the lysosome-targeting ones. This study makes critical insights into the spectral profiles of subcellular organelles and also inspires people in the development of high-efficacy cancer therapeutic strategies by subcellular organelle-targeting drugs.
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