The Plants of the Asteraceae Family as Agents in the Protection of Human Health

The Asteraceae family is one of the largest flowering plant families, with over 1600 genera and 2500 species worldwide. Some of its most well-known taxa are lettuce, chicory, artichoke, daisy and dandelion. The members of the Asteraceae have been used in the diet and for medicine for centuries. Despite their wide diversity, most family members share a similar chemical composition: for example, all species are good sources of inulin, a natural polysaccharide with strong prebiotic properties. They also demonstrate strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, as well as diuretic and wound healing properties. Their pharmacological effects can be attributed to their range of phytochemical compounds, including polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, acetylenes and triterpenes. One such example is arctiin: a ligand with numerous antioxidant, antiproliferative and desmutagenic activities. The family is also a source of sesquiterpene lactones: the secondary metabolites responsible for the bitter taste of many plants. This mini review examines the current state of literature regarding the positive effect of the Asteraceae family on human health.     

A comprehensive review of wheat phytochemicals: From farm to fork and beyond

The health benefits of whole wheat consumption can be partially attributed to wheat's phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkylresorcinols, carotenoids, phytosterols, tocopherols, and tocotrienols. It is of increasing interest to produce whole wheat products that are rich in bioactive phytochemicals. This review provides the fundamentals of the chemistry, extraction, and occurrence of wheat phytochemicals and includes critical discussion of several long-lasting issues: (1) the commonly used nomenclature on distribution of wheat phenolic acids, namely, soluble-free, soluble-conjugated, and insoluble-bound phenolic acids; (2) different extraction protocols for wheat phytochemicals; and (3) the chemistry and application of in vitro antioxidant assays. This review further discusses recent advances on the effects of genotypes, environments, field management, and processing techniques including ultrafine grinding, germination, fermentation, enzymatic treatments, thermal treatments, and food processing. These results need to be interpreted with care due to varied sample preparation protocols and limitations of in vitro assays. The bioaccessibility, bioavailability, metabolism, and potential health benefits of wheat phytochemicals are also reviewed. This comprehensive and critical review will benefit scientific researchers in the field of bioactive compounds of cereal grains and also those in the cereal food industry to produce high-quality functional foods.     

基于深度学习的传感器优化布置方法

针对传感器优化布置(optimal sensor placement,简称OSP)问题,提出了一种新的使用深度神经网络的解决方案,并以简化的桥梁形状的桁架结构中的振动测试传感器优化为例进行了验证。首先,选择一种传统的传感器优化布置方法,对自动化生成的大量不同的桁架结构分别进行传感器优化布置计算,将所得优化布置结果在进行数据预处理后构建出深度学习方法所需要的训练集与验证集;其次,使用Python语言和深度学习框架TensorFlow设计实现与本研究问题适配的深度神经网络模型并训练;然后,随机生成了新的桁架结构参数;最后,将深度神经网络输出的传感器布置结果和传统方法的计算结果进行了比较,验证了本研究方法的有效性以及在速度上、可移植性与可扩展性方面的性能优势。     

提升生活排水系统卫生安全性能的关键问题

新冠肺炎确诊患者粪便病毒检测呈阳性,意味着新冠病毒可能会通过气溶胶的方式进行传播,使得生活排水系统的卫生安全问题时隔17年后再次摆在人们面前。以保障人的健康为出发点,从基础研究、排水机理、系统设计、施工监管、维护管理等多方面提出了提升生活排水系统卫生安全性能的关键问题,以期从全生命周期内切断排水系统可能传播病毒的隐形途径,切实保障居民居家健康。     

保健食品标准中重(装)量差异指标的分析及应用

近年来, 保健食品注册和备案技术指引要求保健食品制剂制订重量差异或装量差异指标, 如片剂等剂型应制订重量差异指标, 胶囊剂等剂型应制订装量差异指标, 以替代原先对包装食品通用的净含量与负偏差指标。在执行过程中, 检测机构众多检验结果显示有不少生产企业可能未能完全理解重量差异和装量差指标的具体分析算法和应用细节要求, 导致抽检结果与生产企业出厂检验结果不一致的情况。本文着重对重量差异和装量差异测定方法的质控目的、限度设定、计算与判定方法等进行详细解读, 以帮助相关企业更好地理解重量差异和装量差异的指标特性和分析应用要点, 阐明重量差异和装量差异指标与包装食品通用的净含量与负偏差指标的不同, 使规范制订保健食品标准并正确执行分析检验。     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定保健品中非法添加的降糖减脂和利尿类药物

目的建立超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry,UPLC-MS/MS)同时测定保健品中非法添加的降糖减脂和利尿类药物的分析方法。方法样品用甲醇-水溶液(50:50,V:V)经超声提取,经C_(18)色谱柱(50 mm×2.1 mm,2.6μm)分离,以0.1%(V/V)甲酸-10 mmol/L乙酸铵水溶液和乙腈作为流动相,进行梯度洗脱。在正电喷雾离子(positiveelectrospray ionization,ESI~+)源采用多反应监测(multiple reaction monitoring,MRM)模式检测。结果 3类非法添加药物在1.0～50.0 ng/mL范围内(洛伐他汀羟酸钠盐为10～500 ng/mL)线性均良好,相关系数(r~2)均在0.99以上。3类非法添加的药物在0.1、0.5和1.0μg/g 3水平(洛伐他汀羟酸钠盐的加标量为1.0、5.0和10.0μg/g)下的加标回收率为77.15%～116.61%,相对标准标准偏差(relative standard deviations,RSDs)均未超过10.65%(n=6)。结论本方法简单、快速、可靠、灵敏度高,可满足保健品市场的监管和检验需求。     

Pregnancy by Assisted Reproductive Technology Is Associated with Shorter Telomere Length in Neonates

Telomere length (TL) influences the development of lifestyle-related diseases, and neonatal TL may influence their prevalence. Various factors have been reported to affect neonatal TL. Although the fetus is exposed to multiple conditions in utero, the main factors affecting the shortening of neonatal TL are still not known. In this study, we sought to identify factors that influence fetal TL. A total of 578 mother-newborn pairs were included for TL analysis. TL was measured in genomic DNA extracted from cord blood samples using quantitative PCR. The clinical factors examined at enrollment included the following intrauterine environmental factors: maternal age, assisted reproductive technology (ART) used, body mass index (BMI), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), maternal stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, preterm delivery, small-for-gestational-age, neonatal sex, and placental weight. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to verify the relationship between neonatal TL and these clinical factors. The median neonatal TL to single-copy gene ratio was 1.0. Pregnancy with ART was among the 11 factors associated with shorter neonatal TL. From multiple regression analysis, we determined that neonatal TL was significantly shorter for pregnancies in the ART group than in the other groups. We conclude that pregnancy with ART is associated with shorter neonatal TL.