The discovery of biomarkers for type 2 diabetic nephropathy by serum proteome analysis

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious kidney complication of diabetes, and constitutes the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. The earliest clinical evidence of DN is microalbuminuria, a term which refers to the appearance of small but abnormal amounts of albumin in the urine. However, screening methods for DN, such as biomarker assays, are yet to be developed for type 2 DN. In the present study, in an attempt to identify the biomarkers for initial diagnoses of type 2 DN, the protein profiles of human sera collected from 30 microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients were compared with those collected from 30 normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients, via 2-DE. As a result, a total of 18 spots were determined to have different protein levels in the microalbuminuric patients. Twelve spots had lower protein levels of approximately 50%, and the other six had higher levels of approximately 100-300% as compared to the spots of normoalbuminuric patients. These spots were identified with ESI-Q-TOF (ESI-quadrupole-TOF) MS. Among the identified proteins, vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) were verified by Western blotting. The results of this study indicate that the DBP may be employed as diagnostic and monitoring biomarkers of type 2 DN, contingent on further study into the matter.     

Pathogenic microorganisms,heavy metals,and antibiotic residues in seven Korean freshwater aquaculture species

Food Science and Biotechnology - This survey was performed to estimate the levels of pathogenic microorganisms, antibiotic residues, and heavy metals in seven Korean freshwater aquaculture species...     

Influence of Steeping Solution and Storage Temperature on the Color Change of Garlic

ABSTRACT:  The objective of this study was to investigate the browning of garlic under different steeping conditions and storage temperatures. The brown indices of steeped garlics showed lowest values (7.3 and 7) in 25% and 50% EtOH at 7 d of storage. The degree of browning of steeped garlics was lowest (10.2 in 25% EtOH and 10.4 in 50% EtOH) in the samples soaked for 8 h at 13 d of storage. As the storage temperature was increased from 10 to 40 °C, the brown indices of garlics revealed an increasing trend relative to storage time regardless of steeping treatment. Overall, the kinetic parameters showed relatively low  R ² and irregular reaction constants, but the  k_o  values showed an increasing trend with temperature under a zero-order model. The highest polyphenol content within the garlic bulbs was seen in controls (without steeping treatment, 588.9 μg/g), than 0% EtOH (water, 392.5 μg/g), than 25% EtOH (211.3 μg/g), and finally 50% EtOH (155.6 μg/g). The polyphenol oxidase activity of garlic showed a similar trend to that of polyphenol content. However, the texture properties of garlics steeped with 25% and 50% did not change.
Practical Application: The garlic color preferred by consumers is a creamy-white, but this is susceptible to enzymatic browning when pre-peeled and chopped. When garlic was steeped in the 25% and 50% alcohol, the browning of garlic was prevented during storage.     

Glucose tolerance and antioxidant activity of spent brewer's yeast hydrolysate with a high content of Cyclo-His-Pro (CHP)

To elevate the Cyclo-His-Pro (CHP) content in yeast, the yeast hydrolysate that was obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis was subjected to various treatments. Flavourzyme-treated hydrolysate showed the highest CHP content (674.0 μg/g) among the various proteases treatments. Ultrafiltration was selected as the best method for concentrating CHP in yeast hydrolysate, based on the yields and CHP contents. In addition, we evaluated the radical scavenge and glucose tolerance of yeast hydrolysate with a high content of CHP. Yeast hydrolysate showed intense scavenging abilities of both 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals. The IC(50) values of yeast hydrolysate on DPPH and ABTS radicals were 1.9 and 0.9 mg/mL, respectively. There were significant differences in glucose level between the diabetes-control and yeast hydrolysate group at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after injection in a type 1 diabetes model (P < 0.01). Also, there were significant differences in blood glucose levels between the 2 groups at 30, 60, and 100 min after injection in the type 2 diabetes group (P < 0.05). Therefore, it is possible to use the yeast hydrolysate with high levels of CHP as an antioxidative and/or antidiabetic material for the preparation of functional foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study tried to develop a material containing a high content of CHP using yeast for possible applications of this cyclic dipeptide in the therapy of metabolic disorders. The yeast hydrolysate prepared with Flavourzyme showed a high level of CHP. The hydrolysate with a high content of CHP showed high levels of radical scavenging activities and oral glucose tolerance activity. Therefore, it is possible to use the yeast hydrolysate with high levels of CHP as an antioxidative and/or antidiabetic material for the preparation of functional foods.     

Antibacterial activity of dithiothreitol reduced graphene oxide

A green and simple approach is described for the large scale synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The transition of graphene oxide (GO) into graphene was confirmed using various analytical techniques. Raman spectroscopy data indicate the partial removal of oxygen-containing functional groups from the surface of GO and formation of graphene. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to investigate the crystallinity of graphene nanosheets. The antibacterial activity of GO and rGO was evaluated using cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA fragmentation assays. The results suggest that GO and rGO possessed an excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli.