The survival and colonic adhesion of Bifidobacterium infantis in patients with ulcerative colitis

While evidence of the beneficial effects of probiotics on acute intestinal disorders has been accumulating during recent years, there have been few studies on the use of probiotics in chronic diseases of the digestive tract. Since colonisation of the gut and adhesion to the intestinal mucosa have been considered as essential in probiotic action, a study with a prospective probiotic strain, Bifidobacterium infantis UCC35624, was performed with seven volunteer ulcerative colitis patients. The volunteers consumed a fermented milk product containing the strain for 5–7 days before colonoscopy. Faecal analysis demonstrated that the strain had established itself in the colon, reaching levels of 10⁵–10⁸ cfu g⁻¹, depending on the individual. The strain could also be recovered from biopsies (especially from those specimens obtained from the transverse and descending part of the colon). The study provides preliminary data which support the necessity for an actual therapy trial.     

Entropy-Controlled Artificial Anisotropic Diffusion for the Numerical Solution of Conservation Laws Based on Algorithms from Image Processing

In image processing are nonlinear anisotropic diffusion filters used to construct suitable filter algorithms for denoising, edge enhancement, and edge detection. We applied a nonlinear anisotropic diffusion operator in the context of the numerical solution of a scalar hyperbolic conservation law. It turns out that algorithms currently used in image processing are very well suited for the design of nonlinear higher-order dissipative terms. In particular we stabilize a central scheme, known for its oscillatory behavior, by the construction of a nonlinear diffusion term. This means constructing a diffusion matrix consisting of eigenvectors parallel and perpendicular to discontinuities and eigenvalues denoting the amount of dissipation depending on the local strength of the gradients. These directions are used to steer the amount of dissipation, which means suppressing diffusion across the shock front and using the perpendicular direction to enable the necessary diffusion to stabilize the underlying second-order scheme. This new approach allows a multidimensional view to the concept of artificial dissipation. We take the concept of entropy production in the vicinity of shock regions as an indicator for the steering of the diffusion matrix. In smooth regions, which obey an entropy equality instead of an entropy inequality, no information about the diffusion direction and strength is needed. So we add as a stabilizing term diffusion parallel to the characteristics, which turns out to be the Lax–Wendroff diffusion rate. In the case of unsteady regions we use the entropy production to blend between this diffusion term and an—still second-order—extra diffusion term with diffusion parallel to the gradient of the entropy production.     

Metabolic Regulation of Methionine Restriction in Diabetes

Although the effects of dietary methionine restriction have been investigated in the physiology of aging and diseases related to oxidative stress, the relationship between methionine restriction (MR) and the development of metabolic disorders has not been explored extensively. This review summarizes studies of the possible involvement of dietary methionine restriction in improving insulin resistance, glucose homeostasis, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and inflammation, with an emphasis on the fibroblast growth factor 21 and protein phosphatase 2A signals and autophagy in diabetes. Diets deficient in methionine may be a useful nutritional strategy in patients with diabetes.     

百合疏肝安神汤对焦虑性抑郁症模型大鼠前额叶-边缘结构及GR/BDNF/NPY表达的影响

目的: 探讨百合疏肝安神汤对焦虑性抑郁症模型大鼠前额叶-边缘(海马、杏仁核)结构及GR/BDNF/NPY表达的影响。方法: 将SD大鼠按体质量随机分为7组：焦虑性抑郁模型组、阳性药（文拉法辛6.75 mg/kg）组、百合疏肝安神汤高（24.28 g/kg）、中（12.24 g/kg）、低（6.12 g/kg）剂量组,另设空白对照组和溶媒组;连续21 d慢性束缚应激＋孤笼饲养,并皮下注射皮质酮（30 mg/kg）复制焦虑性抑郁症动物模型,造模同时灌胃给药,溶媒组皮下注射生理盐水+5%DMSO,空白对照组正常饲养。采用HE染色检测前额叶皮层、海马、杏仁核结构形态变化;Western blotting法测定糖皮质激素受体（glucocorticoid, GR）、脑源性神经营养因子（brain derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF）和神经肽Y（neuropeptide Y, NPY）的表达。结果: 与空白对照组比较,焦虑性抑郁模型大鼠前额叶皮层胶质细胞增多,神经元细胞数量减少,椎体神经元发生空泡样改变,细胞核萎缩;海马DG区和CA3区神经元丢失,CA3区神经元细胞核出现深染;杏仁核神经元细胞核边界模糊,细胞排列散乱,细胞数量明显减少;前额叶皮层、海马、杏仁核中GR、BDNF、NPY蛋白表达均显著降低（P<0.05或P<0.01）。与模型组比较,百合疏肝安神汤高剂量组大鼠前额叶皮层神经胶质细胞增生情况明显缓解,细胞排列较整齐;海马DG区和CA3区神经元细胞增多,CA3区神经元损伤减轻;杏仁核神经元损伤减轻;百合疏肝安神汤高剂量组大鼠前额叶皮层、海马、杏仁核中GR、BDNF、NPY蛋白表达均明显升高（P<0.05或P<0.01）。 结论: 百合疏肝安神汤抗焦虑抑郁作用可能与调节GR/BDNF/NPY信号级联反应,保护前额叶 边缘（海马、杏仁核）结构损伤有关。     

百事乐胶囊对抑郁模型大鼠海马隔颞轴BDNF、NT-3、NGF表达的影响

目的: 探讨百事乐胶囊对慢性应激抑郁模型大鼠海马隔颞轴脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）、神经营养因子3（NT-3）、神经生长因子（NGF）表达的影响。方法: 将60只SD大鼠随机分为空白对照组、抑郁模型组、氟西汀组、百事乐胶囊高、中、低剂量（2.88、1.44、0.72 g/kg）组,每组10只。采用慢性不可预见性温和应激建立抑郁大鼠模型,连续应激21 d后,采用糖水偏好实验和强迫游泳实验测试大鼠的抑郁样行为,Morris水迷宫测试评价大鼠的学习记忆能力,采用免疫荧光技术观察大鼠海马隔颞轴神经营养因子BDNF、NT-3、NGF蛋白表达的变化。结果: 与空白组比较,模型组大鼠糖水偏好率显著降低,游泳不动时间增加（P<0.01）;逃避潜伏期、目标象限潜伏时间显著增长（P<0.01）,穿越目标象限的次数显著降低（P<0.05）;海马隔颞轴S1、S2、T3、T4部分BDNF、NT-3、NGF表达下调（P<0.01）。在给予百事乐胶囊干预后,模型大鼠的糖水偏好率显著增加,不动时间降低（P<0.05）;同时大鼠的逃避潜伏期及目标象限潜伏时间明显缩短（P<0.05）,穿越目标象限的次数增加（P<0.05）;此外,百事乐胶囊也能使模型大鼠海马隔颞轴S2、T3部分BDNF、NT-3、NGF的表达显著增加（P<0.05或P<0.01）。结论: 百事乐胶囊能显著改善模型大鼠的抑郁样行为,提高其学习记忆能力,其作用可能与调节海马隔颞轴S2、T3部分的功能,促进海马神经营养因子的表达有关。     

肉源性活性肽及其计算机分析技术研究进展

肉及其副产物中含有多种蛋白质,这些蛋白质经过酶解、微生物发酵或胃肠道消化后,产生多种有益于人体的活性肽,如降血压肽（血管紧张素转化酶抑制肽）、抗氧化肽、抗菌肽和二肽基肽酶抑制肽等。肽的生物活性逐渐被人们重视,但其提取和筛选仍然受到分离鉴定技术的限制。计算机分析技术能够很好地评估及分离鉴定蛋白质作为活性肽前体蛋白的能力,模拟酶及化学作用对蛋白质的水解,预测肽序列的活性及其化学性质。本文对肉源性活性肽进行综述,并介绍计算机分析技术在分离鉴定活性肽中的应用。     

食盐对传统发酵肉成熟过程中微生物菌群、理化性质及盐溶性蛋白特性的影响

以不同食盐添加量（0%、1%、3%、5%、7%）发酵肉（戊糖片球菌∶木糖葡萄球菌＝1∶1）为研究对象,测定发酵肉微生物菌群、pH值、水分含量、亚硝酸盐残留量,以及最终成熟发酵肉中食盐、总氮、非蛋白氮及盐溶性蛋白含量,研究食盐添加量对发酵肉成熟过程中微生物菌群、理化性质及盐溶性蛋白特性的影响。结果表明：随着食盐添加量的增加,微生物菌群数量基本呈先上升后下降的趋势;食盐添加量3%的发酵肉,蛋白质水解指数最高,盐溶性蛋白含量最低,十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳条带最为清晰。     

Unique charge/discharge properties of carbon materials with different structures

The electrochemical properties of isotropic and anisotropic carbon fibers were studied using the two-electrode method in a 1 M LiPF₆ electrolyte solution dissolved in a 1:1 volume mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Isotropic carbon fiber had a larger irreversible capacity than that of the other carbon fibers and might have many sites for the electrolyte decompositon and residual lithium ions. Active carbon fibers prepared from isotropic carbon fibers by steam gasiformation at 850 °C showed large specific surface areas. After steam gasiformation, the active carbon fibers changed into a more crystalline state and had electrochemical characteristics similar to the anisotropic carbon fibers. Impedance profiles of the carbon fibers were fitted by equivalent analogs of a three-resistance—capacitance (RC) circuit in series and the thickness of passivation layers in the carbon fibers was calculated.