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•Oxidized gellan gum with a well-controlled degree of oxidation was successfully prepared.•Hydrogel bead consisted of oxidized gellan gum and type III resistant starch was ...fabricated.•Resveratrol was embedded into β-cyclodextrins and encapsulated into hydrogel bead.•Hydrogel showed good resveratrol encapsulation capacity and a controlled in vitro release.
Hydrogel beads composed of oxidized gellan gum (OGG) and resistant starch (RS) were successfully fabricated by ionic cross-linking and used as delivery carriers for resveratrol. Firstly, OGG with different degrees of oxidation were prepared through 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation, and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance to prove that carboxyl groups were successfully introduced into the gellan gum molecules. Molecular weight, thermal stability, zeta potential and gelation temperature of OGG were also investigated. Subsequently, resveratrol was encapsulated into OGG/RS hydrogel beads in the form of resveratrol/β-cyclodextrins inclusion complexes. The addition of RS significantly influenced the morphological structure and swelling capacity of OGG/RS hydrogel beads. The OGG/RS hydrogel beads exhibited a pH-sensitivity and high encapsulation efficiency of resveratrol (84.95 %–90.73 %). Furthermore, the in-vitro release behaviors demonstrated that OGG/RS hydrogel beads showed good stability in simulated gastric fluids and sustained release of resveratrol in simulated intestinal fluids. The obtained results indicate that OGG/RS hydrogel beads show a potential as delivery system for resveratrol in the food industry.
Background and Aims
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a new infectious disease. To reveal the hepatic injury related to this disease and its clinical significance, we conducted a multicenter ...retrospective cohort study that included 5,771 adult patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia in Hubei Province.
Approach and Results
We reported the distributional and temporal patterns of liver injury indicators in these patients and determined their associated factors and death risk. Longitudinal liver function tests were retrospectively analyzed and correlated with the risk factors and death. Liver injury dynamic patterns differed in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBIL). AST elevated first, followed by ALT, in severe patients. ALP modestly increased during hospitalization and largely remained in the normal range. The fluctuation in TBIL levels was mild in the non‐severe and the severe groups. AST abnormality was associated with the highest mortality risk compared with the other indicators of liver injury during hospitalization. Common factors associated with elevated liver injury indicators were lymphocyte count decrease, neutrophil count increase, and male gender.
Conclusion
The dynamic patterns of liver injury indicators and their potential risk factors may provide an important explanation for the COVID‐19‐associated liver injury. Because elevated liver injury indicators, particularly AST, are strongly associated with the mortality risk, our study indicates that these parameters should be monitored during hospitalization.
•Native waxy corn starch was treated by ultrasound treatment.•The molecular structure and physical properties of ultrasonicated waxy corn starch were characterized.•Higher population of A chain, ...lower proportion of B1,B2 and B3 chains were observed in ultrasonicated waxy corn starch.•α-(1,6) glycosidic linkages were destroyed easily than α-(1,4) glycosidic linkages.•The molecular structure of amylopectin is a critical factor in determining physicochemical properties of waxy corn starch.
As a simple and effective physical method, ultrasound irradiation has been used to modify starch. Native waxy corn starch was treated by ultrasound irradiation at 100 and 400 W in this study. Compared with native waxy corn starch, lower proportion of B1, B2, and B3, higher proportion of A chain were observed in ultrasonicated waxy corn starch. 1H NMR combined with HPSEC-MALLS-RI data showed that lower degree of branching was observed in ultrasonicated waxy corn starch, and α-1,4 glycosidic linkages were more stable than α-1,6 glycosidic linkages in waxy corn starches. 13C NMR data indicated that the content of double helices was decreased, and single helix and amorphous components were increased after ultrasound irradiation. The A-type crystal structure was scarcely affected according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The granule surface of ultrasonicated waxy corn starch became notch and rough fragment, and lower particle diameter was observed in ultrasonicated waxy corn starch. These results demonstrated that ultrasound irradiation affected chain length distribution, double helices, single helices and amorphous state, especially α-1,4 glycosidic linkages and α-1,6 glycosidic linkages, of waxy corn starch.
Green production of NH3, especially the Li‐mediated electrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR) in non‐aqueous solutions, is attracting research interest. Controversies regarding the NRR mechanism ...greatly impede its optimization and wide applications. To understand the electrocatalytic process, we treated Au coated carbon fibrous paper (Au/CP) as the model catalyst. In situ XRD confirmed the transformation of lithium intermediates during NRR. Au greatly improved electron transfer kinetics to catalyze metallic Li formation, and accordingly highly accelerated spontaneous NRR. The Faradaic efficiency of NRR on Au/CP reached 34.0 %, and NH3 yield was as high as 50 μg h−1 cm−2. Our research shows that the key step of Li‐mediated non‐aqueous NRR is electrocatalytic Li reduction and offers a novel electrocatalyst design method for Li reduction.
The key step of Li‐mediated non‐aqueous NRR is electrocatalytic Li reduction. Gold greatly improved Li adsorption energy and thus highly accelerated the domino‐like nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR).
An advanced visible/infrared dual‐band photodetector with high‐resolution imaging at room temperature is proposed and demonstrated for intelligent identification based on the 2D GaSe/GaSb vertical ...heterostructure. It resolves the challenges of producing large‐scale 2D growth, achieving fast response speed, outstanding detectivity, and lower manufacture cost, which are the main obstacles for industrialization of 2D‐materials‐based photodetection.
Two-dimensional materials provide extraordinary opportunities for exploring phenomena arising in atomically thin crystals. Beginning with the first isolation of graphene, mechanical exfoliation has ...been a key to provide high-quality two-dimensional materials, but despite improvements it is still limited in yield, lateral size and contamination. Here we introduce a contamination-free, one-step and universal Au-assisted mechanical exfoliation method and demonstrate its effectiveness by isolating 40 types of single-crystalline monolayers, including elemental two-dimensional crystals, metal-dichalcogenides, magnets and superconductors. Most of them are of millimeter-size and high-quality, as shown by transfer-free measurements of electron microscopy, photo spectroscopies and electrical transport. Large suspended two-dimensional crystals and heterojunctions were also prepared with high-yield. Enhanced adhesion between the crystals and the substrates enables such efficient exfoliation, for which we identify a gold-assisted exfoliation method that underpins a universal route for producing large-area monolayers and thus supports studies of fundamental properties and potential application of two-dimensional materials.
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•Hydrophilic and hydrophobic cavities were both used to co-load VC and βC.•The stability of βC was improved after co-loading VC and βC in liposomes.•The release kinetics and ...mechanisms of βC from L-βC and L-VC-βC were studied.
Vitamin C (VC) and β-Carotene (βC) were selected to produce co-encapsulated liposomes using hydrophilic and hydrophobic cavities simultaneously by ethanol injection method. The results of liposomal structure characterized by particle size, polydispersity index, zeta-potential and transmission electron microscope showed that the microstructure of all liposomal samples was spherical without adhesion or break and the size of VC-βC-loaded liposome (L-VC-βC) was bigger than VC-loaded liposome (L-VC) or βC-loaded liposome (L-βC). The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of VC in L-VC-βC was significantly higher than that in L-VC, and the EE of βC in L-VC-βC had no significant change compared with that in L-βC. The free radical scavenging rate of L-VC-βC was significantly higher than that of L-βC, while it had no significant change compared with that of L-VC. In addition, the storage stability of βC in L-VC-βC improved greatly compared with that in L-βC. Furthermore, the zero order model was applied to understand the release kinetics of βC from L-βC and L-VC-βC in the stomach, whereas the Korsmeyr-Peppas model was chosen to describe the release of βC from two types of liposome in small intestine and their release mechanisms were mainly dominated by Fickian diffusion. It was significant to provide a new idea for using hydrophilic and hydrophobic cavities simultaneously in liposomes to design the multicomponent nutrient delivery system.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major comorbidity of COVID-19. However, the impact of blood glucose (BG) control on the degree of required medical interventions and on mortality in patients with COVID-19 ...and T2D remains uncertain. Thus, we performed a retrospective, multi-centered study of 7,337 cases of COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China, among which 952 had pre-existing T2D. We found that subjects with T2D required more medical interventions and had a significantly higher mortality (7.8% versus 2.7%; adjusted hazard ratio HR, 1.49) and multiple organ injury than the non-diabetic individuals. Further, we found that well-controlled BG (glycemic variability within 3.9 to 10.0 mmol/L) was associated with markedly lower mortality compared to individuals with poorly controlled BG (upper limit of glycemic variability exceeding 10.0 mmol/L) (adjusted HR, 0.14) during hospitalization. These findings provide clinical evidence correlating improved glycemic control with better outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing T2D.
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•A cohort of 7,337 COVID-19 patients with or without diabetes was retrospectively studied•Diabetes status increased the need for medical interventions during COVID-19•Diabetes status increased the mortality risk of patients with COVID-19•Well-controlled blood glucose correlated with improved outcomes in infected patients
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) correlates with a worse outcome for COVID-19. Here, Zhu et al. show that among ∼7,300 cases of COVID-19, T2D is associated with a higher death rate, but diabetics with better controlled blood glucose die at a lower rate than diabetics with poorly controlled blood glucose.
In this study, we demonstrated the role of Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized with the whey protein isolate (WPI)/(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) covalent conjugates on ...the storage and GIT passage viability of probiotics powder (Lactobacillus Plantarum). At pH 9 value, the WPI-EGCG covalent conjugates by free-radical induction reaction formed hydroxyquinone or hydroxyquinone dimers with better wettability, and digestive enzyme inhibition effect and smaller particle size. Then, the WPI-EGCG covalent conjugates were used to stabilize the O/W type Pickering emulsion. The oil fraction (ϕ) addition led to an increase in the droplet size and modulus of Pickering emulsions toward to generate gel-like structure. On the other hand, at a constant ϕ value, the droplet size of these Pickering HIPEs reduced with increasing particle concentration (c) from 0.5% to 5%, indicating that high c can stabilize more oil droplets. Encapsulation of Lactobacillus Plantarum powder with the Pickering HIPEs was successful to enhance the viable cell count after 14 days storage and GIT digestion. The protective effect of Pickering emulsions was improved with the addition of the c and/or ϕ value. Therefore, Pickering HIPEs can be applied as a promising carrier for enhancing the viability of probiotic powder during storage and GIT digestion by reason of the high oil phase fraction and the adsorption of the WPI-EGCG covalent conjugates on the droplet interface.
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•At pH 9 value, the WPI-EGCG covalent conjugates formed better wettability.•The conjugates were used to stabilize the O/W type Pickering emulsion.•The ϕ addition of Pickering emulsions led to generate gel-like structure.•Encapsulation of probiotics enhanced the viability after storage and digestion.•Pickering HIPEs can be applied as a promising carrier for probiotic powder.
In this study, we demonstrated the role of W1/O/W2 double emulsion with alginate-Ca-EDTA system on the gastrointestinal digestion viability of Lactobacillus Plantarum strain liquid. The W1/O/W2 ...double emulsion was prepared by WPI-EGCG covalent conjugate nanoparticles with compartmented multiple-emulsion nature. The effects of preparation parameters containing polyglycerol polyricinoleate content, oil fraction, and WPI-EGCG covalent conjugate particle concentration on the formation of W1/O/W2 double emulsions were systematically studied. Then, the rheological properties of alginate-Ca-EDTA system in the external aqueous phase of the W1/O/W2 double emulsions as the pH changes were investigated. The W1/O/W2 double emulsion maintained in the hydrogel state at pH below 4.0 because of Ca2+ coupled with G residues of alginate. In contrast, the W1/O/W2 double emulsion transformed to solution state at neutral pH condition, which caused the dissociation of Ca2+ from the Ca-alginate hydrogel and resulted in Ca-EDTA chelation. A pH-sensitive carrier based on an alginate-Ca-EDTA system in a set-type W1/O/W2 double emulsion model was exploited by regulating the release of Ca2+. Based on the pH-sensitive alginate-Ca-EDTA system and middle oil phase resistance, such a double emulsion supplied a colon-targeted release carrier for the Lactobacillus Plantarum strain liquid encapsulation into inner aqueous phase with the functional protection effect. The results offer a promising strategy for probiotics strain liquid encapsulation of double emulsion delivery systems in oral applications of foods (such as yogurt, fruit juice or cheese) and pharmaceuticals.
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•W1/O/W2 double emulsion was prepared by WPI-EGCG covalent conjugate nanoparticles.•Effect of PGPR, oil fraction, and particle concentration on the emulsion were studied.•Alginate-Ca-EDTA system in W1/O/W2 double emulsion was regulated by release of Ca2+.•W1/O/W2 double emulsion supplies a carrier for the probiotic encapsulation.
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