Abstract Background Chinese people with dementia account for approximately a quarter of the global burden of diseases, while the traditional long-term care system that heavily relies on families is eroding. In response, the Chinese Government has launched several policies for dementia.We aim to describe governance structure for long-term care, synthesizing the policy developments since 2010, and analyze current issues and challenges in the system, and provide policy recommendations. Method A critical analysis was conducted by looking for government reports, news, and searching the PubMed, Web of Sciences and CNKI database on China’s long-term care system for dementia from 1 January 2010 to 30 August 2023. Results We described Chinese long-term care system for people with dementia from three overarching aspects: governance and policy, service delivery, and the system of financing. We found that the system is characterized by no specificity and continuity in policy, as well as lacking sections of professional long-term care services. Moreover, inconsistent designs in financing sources and eligibility have also been fully concerned. Conclusions This study demonstrated the vitality of the dementia service market has yet to be fully stimulated in the Chinese mainland, problems such as unbalanced and inadequate development, insufficient effective supply, and low service quality still exist, and the long-term care services needs for people with dementia have yet to be effectively met. Currently, China’s policy for people with dementia is developing. Lessons from international experiences are may able to help China conduct novel health policy. It’s urgent to establish a unified national services system to promote the healthy development of care services for people with dementia.

Steroid hormones play a crucial role in the growth and maturation of poultry ovarian follicles, with progesterone secretion by granulosa cells (GC) being essential. According to our previous transcriptome analysis, it apparented that miR-146a-5p expressions were upregulated in the follicles undergoing atresia. In this study, we delved the depth to explore the underlying mechanisms by miR-146a-5p in the regulation of follicle functions in chicken. The study demonstrated that miR-146a-5p suppressed cell growth, lipids accumulation, and progesterone biosynthesis in chicken GC. Through targeting association validations, we identified delta 4-desaturase, sphingolipid 1 (DEGS1) as capable of interacting with miR-146a-5p. Co-transfection experiments further confirmed that DEGS1 reversed the impairment of GC functions by miR-146a-5p. Moreover, we discovered that miR-146a-5p suppressed AKT phosphorylation, while DEGS1 enhanced AKT phosphorylation. Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor (LY294002) studies showed that miR-146a-5p would inhibit AKT phosphorylation by governing the DEGS1/AKT pathway, which in turn regulates GC function. In summary, the findings revealed that miR-146a-5p suppressed cell growth, lipid deposition, and progesterone biosynthesis via the DEGS1/AKT pathway. These results may further enrich our understandings of how non-coding RNA regulates productive performance in chickens.

Camellia polyodonta flowers are rich sources of phenolics and less attention has been paid to their potential biological activity. This study aims to explore the crude extracts and resulting purified fractions (CPFP-I, II, III, and IV) through compositional analysis and antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities in vitro and in vivo. Among four fractions, CPFP-II contained the highest total phenolic content and flavonoid content, while CPFP-III exhibited the greatest total proanthocyanidin content. Among the 14 phenolic compounds, CPFP-II displayed the highest content of procyanidin B2, B4, and C1, whereas CPFP-III contained the highest amount of 1,2,3,6-tetragalloylglucose. The DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assessments demonstrated a consistent trend: CPFP-II > CPFP-III > CPFP-I > CPFP-IV. In vivo experiments showed that that all four fractions significantly reduced lipid levels in hyperlipidemic C. elegans (p < 0.05), with CPFP-II exhibiting the most potent effect. Furthermore, CPFP-II effectively bound to bile acids and inhibited the enzymatic activity of pancreatic lipase in vitro. Consequently, CPFP-II should be prioritized as a promising fraction for further exploration and should provide substantial support for the feasibility of the C. polyodonta flower as a natural alternative.

Camellia polyodonta flowers contain limited information available regarding the composition of their bioactive compounds and activity. The objective of this study was to identify phenolic compounds and investigate the effect of different solvents (ethanol and methanol) on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity in C. polyodonta flowers. The analysis using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS revealed the presence of 105 phytochemicals and the most common compounds were flavonols, procyanidins, and ellagitannins. Interestingly, flavonol triglycosides were identified for the first time in these flowers. The study demonstrated that the concentration of the solvent had a significant impact on the total phenolic compound (TPC), total flavonoid compound (TFC), and total proanthocyanidin content (TPAC). The TPC, TFC, and TPAC showed a remarkable increase with the increasing concentration of the solvent, reaching their maximum levels (138.23 mg GAE/g DW, 421.62 mg RE/g DW, 60.77 mg PB2E/g DW) at 70% ethanol. However, the total anthocyanin content reached its maximum at low concentrations (0.49 mg CGE/g DW). Similar trends were observed in the antioxidant activity, as measured by the DPPH· assay (DPPH radical scavenging activity), ABTS·+ assay (ABTS radical cation scavenging activity), and FRAP assay (Ferric reducing antioxidant power). The maximum antioxidant activity was observed at 100% solvents and 70% methanol. Among the 14 individual phenolic compounds, 70% methanol yielded the highest content for 8 (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, procyanidin B2, procyanidin B4, epicatechin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, astragaline and quercitrin) out of the 14 compounds. Additionally, it was found that epicatechin was the most abundant phenolic compound, accounting for approximately 20339.37 μg/g DW. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that 70% methanol is the most effective solvent for extracting polyphenols from C. polyodonta flowers. These results provided chemical information and potential antioxidant value for further research in C. polyodonta flowers.

The liver and ovary perform a vital role in egg production in hens. In the later laying period, the egg-laying capacity of female hens, particularly that of local breeds, declines significantly. Hence, it is essential to study the features and conditions of the ovary and liver during this period. In this research, we characterized the proteins and metabolites in the liver and ovary of 55-week-old Guangyuan gray chickens (Group G) and Hy-Line gray chickens (Group H) by using liquid chromatography chip/electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight/mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS). In total, 139 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and 186 differential metabolites (DMs) were identified in the liver, and 139 DEPs and 36 DMs were identified in the ovary. The upregulated DEPs and DMs in both the liver and ovary of Group G were primarily enriched in pathways involved in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. This suggests that energy metabolism was highly active in the Guangyuan gray chickens. In contrast, the upregulated DEPs and DMs in Group H were mainly enriched in pathways associated with lipid metabolism, which may explain the higher egg production and the higher fatty liver rate in Hy-Line gray hens in the later laying period. Additionally, it was found that the unique protein s-(hydroxymethyl) glutathione dehydrogenase (ADH4) in Group G was implicated in functions such as fatty acid degradation, glycolysis, and pyruvate metabolism, whereas the unique proteins, steroid sulfatase (STS), glucosylceramidase (LOC107050229), and phospholipase A2 Group XV (PLA2G15), in Group H were involved in the metabolism of steroid hormones and glycerol phosphate. In conclusion, variations in how carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids are processed in the liver and ovary of local breeds of chicken and commercial hens towards the end of their laying period could explain the disparities in their egg production abilities.

The aim of this study is to assess the differences in the meat quality, nutritional composition, carcass traits, and myofiber characteristics between Hy-Line grey chickens (HLG, commercial breed) and Guangyuan grey chickens (GYG, indigenous breed). A total of 20 55-week-old chickens were selected for slaughter. The HLG exhibited a larger carcass weight, breast muscle weight, and abdominal fat weight (p < 0.05). The GYG exhibited a higher crude protein content, lower shear force, and smaller fiber size in the thigh muscles, whereas the HLG presented higher pH values and lower inosine-5′-monophosphate content in the breast muscles (p < 0.05). Darker meat based on higher redness and yellowness values was observed in the GYG instead of the HLG (p < 0.05). The research results also revealed parameter differences between different muscle types. Simultaneously, a correlation analysis showed significant correlations between the meat quality traits and myofiber characteristics (p < 0.05). In conclusion, aged indigenous chickens perform better in terms of tenderness and nutritional value in the thigh muscles, and may exhibit a better flavor in the breast muscles, but have a smaller breast muscle weight. Therefore, the current investigation provides a theoretical basis for the different needs of consumers and the processing of meat from old laying hens.

Camellia oleifera Abel. is an economically important woody oil plant native to China. To explore the genetic diversity of wild C. oleifera phenotypic traits and effectively protect these germplasm resources, this study provides a thorough evaluation of the phenotypic variability of a cluster of 143 wild C. oleifera germplasm resources. A total of 41 characters, including leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and oil quality characters, were investigated based on the quantization of physical and chemical descriptors and digital image analysis. The findings revealed significant variations among the 41 characters with a high range of Shannon-Wiener indexes (H ') from 0.07 to 2.19. The coefficient of variation (CV) among 32 quantitative characters ranged from 5.34% to 81.31%, with an average of 27.14%. High genetic diversity was also detected among the 143 germplasm. Based on the analysis of hierarchical clustering, 143 accessions were separated into six categories. All the individuals can be clearly distinguished from each other according to the result of the principal component analysis (PCA). The M-TOPSIS exhaustive evaluation method based on correlation and PCA analyses of 32 quantitative characters was applied for the 143 wild C. oleifera accessions, and the top 10 varieties were identified as YA53, YA13, YA40, YA34, YA57, YA19, YA33, YA41, DZ8, and YA7. This research optimized the germplasm evaluation system and perfected the statistical phenotypic traits for distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) testing. Some top-notch germplasm sources were also screened for oil-tea Camellia breeding.

The quail is an important research model, and the demand for quail meat has been increasing in recent years; therefore, it is worthwhile investigating the development of embryonic skeletal muscle and the expression patterns of regulatory genes. In this study, the expression of MyoD and Pax7 in the breast muscle (m. pectoralis major) and leg muscle (m. biceps femoris) of quail embryos on days 10 through 17 were determined using qRT-PCR. Paraffin sections of embryonic muscle were analyzed to characterize changes over time. Results showed that MyoD and Pax7 were expressed in both breast and leg muscles and played a significant role in embryonic muscle development. Compared to breast muscle, leg muscle grew faster and had greater weight and myofiber size. The findings suggested that embryonic day 12 (E12) may be a key point for muscle development. Correlation analysis showed that MyoD expression was significantly negatively correlated with muscle and embryo weight, whereas Pax7 gene expression had no significant correlation with these characteristics. These fundamental results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the characteristics and transition points of skeletal muscle development in quail embryos and an important reference for farmers raising quail from eggs.

Aging is a major international concern that brings formidable socioeconomic and healthcare challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the positive effect of Camellia oleifera oil (CO) on the lifespan of C. elegans through transcriptome and metabolome analysis. The results demonstrated that CO direct significantly increased the lifespan and mean lifespan to 25.00 and 18.43 d, respectively, compared to the control group (15.95 d). Moreover, CO supplementation significantly improved the healthspan of C. elegans. Additionally, CO altered the transcription levels of genes involved in longevity regulating pathway and activated stress resistance pathway and influenced the levels of metabolic biomarkers related to galactose metabolism. Additionally, CO significantly reduced the content of ROS and MDA in C. elegans by 21.54% and 42.40%, respectively. Together, the study highlights the potential of CO in promoting lifespan and improving the health status, which shall facilitate its further development in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Camellia oil (CO) is a high medicinal and nutritional value edible oil. However, its ability to alleviate fat accumulation in high-fat Caenorhabditis elegans has not been well elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of CO on fat accumulation in high-fat C. elegans via transcriptome and metabolome analysis. The results showed that CO significantly reduced fat accumulation in high-fat C. elegans by 10.34% (Oil Red O method) and 11.54% (TG content method), respectively. Furthermore, CO primarily altered the transcription levels of genes involved in longevity regulating pathway. Specifically, CO decreased lipid storage in high-fat C. elegans by inhibiting fat synthesis. In addition, CO supplementation modulated the abundance of metabolic biomarkers related to pyrimidine metabolism and riboflavin metabolism. The integrated transcriptome and metabolome analyses indicated that CO supplementation could alleviate fat accumulation in high-fat C. elegans by regulating retinol metabolism, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, and pentose and glucuronate interconversions. Overall, these findings highlight the potential health benefits of CO that could potentially be used as a functional edible oil.

Aged chickens are often a secondary dietary choice, owing to the poor organoleptic qualities of their meat. With regard to the meat quality of chickens, the metabolic profiles of pectoral muscle in Guangyuan grey chickens (group G) and Hy-Line grey hens (group H) aged 55 weeks were compared via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). A total of 74 metabolites were identified with differential changes in the ion model. Lipids and lipid-like molecules comprised the largest proportion among the different metabolites. The content of myristic acid and palmitic acid were found to be higher in the pectoral muscle of group G, while group H showed significantly higher levels of glycerophospholipid molecules, such as LPC(18:2/0:0), Pi(38:5), Pc(16:0/16:0), and Pe(16:1e/14-hdohe). KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the abundant metabolites in group G were mainly involved in energy metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism, whereas those of group H were mainly attributed to the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. Overall, the differences in lipid and amino acid metabolism in pectoral muscle appear to be responsible for the difference in meat quality between indigenous chickens and commercial laying hens.

The extraction process, structural characterization and free radical scavenging ability of polysaccharides from Camellia oleifera have already been widely studied. However, the antioxidant activities are still lack of systematic experiments. In this study, we used Hep G2 cells and Caenorhabditis elegans to evaluate the antioxidant potential of polysaccharides that from C. oleifera flowers (P-CF), leaves (P-CL), seed cakes (P-CC) and fruit shells (P-CS). The results showed all these polysaccharides could protect cells from oxidative damage induced by t-BHP. The highest cell viabilities were 66.46 ± 1.36 % (P-CF), 55.2 ± 2.93 % (P-CL), 54.49 ± 1.29 % (P-CC) and 61.45 ± 1.67 % (P-CS), respectively. Studies have shown that four polysaccharides may protect cells from apoptosis by reducing ROS levels and maintaining MMP balance. Moreover, P-CF, P-CL, P-CC and P-CS increased the survival rate of C. elegans under thermal stress, which reduced the production of ROS by 56.1 ± 0.67 %, 59.37 ± 1.79 %, 16.63 ± 2.51 % and 27.55 ± 2.62 %, respectively. P-CF and P-CL showed stronger protective effects on C. elegans by increasing the nuclear entry rate of DAF-16 and stimulating the expression of SOD-3. Our study suggested that C. oleifera polysaccharides have the potential to develop into a natural supplement agent.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is one of the crucial factors determining meat quality. IMF deposition depends on the hyperplasia and hypertrophy of intramuscular preadipocytes, in which genes and noncoding RNAs play an important regulatory role. According to previous transcriptome analysis, ANXA6 and miR-24-3p were identified as involved in lipid metabolism in breast muscle. In this study, we further investigated their function in the proliferation and differentiation of chicken intramuscular preadipocytes. The results indicated that overexpression of ANXA6 inhibited proliferation and promoted differentiation of intramuscular preadipocytes, while knockdown of ANXA6 promoted cell proliferation and inhibited adipogenic differentiation. miR-24-3p was proved to directly bind to the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of ANXA6 by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The regulatory effect of miR-24-3p on the proliferation and differentiation of intramuscular preadipocytes was opposite to that of ANXA6. Besides, the overexpression vector of ANXA6 eliminated the impact of miR-24-3p mimics on intramuscular preadipocytes. In brief, we revealed that miR-24-3p promoted proliferation but inhibited differentiation of intramuscular preadipocytes by blocking ANXA6 expression, thus dominating IMF deposition in broilers. These findings may provide a novel target for improving chicken meat quality.

There are enormous benefits to olive cultivation in China. However, little research has been conducted into the characteristics of the morphology and oil quality of introduced olive cultivars in southwest China. This study investigates the morphological and biochemical characteristics of seven introduced olive cultivars and one indigenous cultivar grown in the county of Jintang in Sichuan Province. The results reveal that all cultivars have adapted to their new environment and exhibit unique characteristics. The Coratina, Koroneiki and Grossanne varieties have all proved to be excellent oil cultivars, with a fresh oil content of 20.42%, 18.58% and 16.46%, respectively. The free acidity and peroxide values of these olive oils are within the range of the extra virgin olive oil category, while the extracted oils are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, alpha-tocopherol, squalene, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol and phenolic compounds. Moreover, the olive cultivated in southwest China possesses a higher content of moisture, oleic acid and unsaturated fatty acids compared with the Mediterranean region. Therefore, the region around Jintang, a new environment, is shown to have tremendous potential for the cultivation and development of olives in the future. In addition, these results can provide theoretical guidance for olive planting and cultivar selection in southwest China.

Camellia flowers are an important oil source containing abundant phenolic compounds. The free and bound phenolic, flavonoid, and proanthocyanidin fractions and their antioxidant activity were investigated in Camellia oleifera flowers and Camellia polyodonta flowers, stamens, and petals. Phenolic compounds in C. oleifera were studied using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, which revealed 85 phenolics, including flavonols > ellagitannins > procyanidins > phenolic acids > flavanone > organic acids. Free fractions contributed more greatly to phenolic content and antioxidant capacity than bound fractions in all samples. The highest total phenolics (138.96 mg GAE/g DW), total flavonoids (423.20 mg RE/g DW), and total proantho-cyanidins (61.08 mg PB2E/g DW) were obtained in the C. polyodonta flowers, which also exhibited the highest total antioxidant activity. In terms of individual phenolic components, C. polyodonta possessed the highest content of procyanidin B2, procyanidin B4, procyanidin C1, and epicatechin, while C. oleifera displayed the highest content of flavonoids such as quercitrin and afzelin, particularly in the petals. These results implied that Camellia flowers are important natural sources of active components for use in the food industry.

The flowers, leaves, seed cakes and fruit shells of Camellia oleifera are rich in bioactive polysaccharides, which can be used as additives in food and other industries. In this study, a Box−Behnken design was used to optimize the extraction conditions of polysaccharides from C. oleifera flowers (P-CF), leaves (P-CL), seed cakes (P-CC), and fruit shells (P-CS). Under the optimized extraction conditions, the polysaccharide yields of the four polysaccharides were 9.32% ± 0.11 (P-CF), 7.57% ± 0.11 (P-CL), 8.69% ± 0.16 (P-CC), and 7.25% ± 0.07 (P-CS), respectively. Polysaccharides were mainly composed of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and xylose, of which the molecular weights ranged from 3.31 kDa to 128.06 kDa. P-CC had a triple helix structure. The antioxidant activities of the four polysaccharides were determined by Fe2+ chelating and free radical scavenging abilities. The results showed that all polysaccharides had antioxidant effects. Among them, P-CF had the strongest antioxidant activity, of which the highest scavenging ability of DPPH•, ABTS•+, and hydroxyl radical could reach 84.19% ± 2.65, 94.8% ± 0.22, and 79.97% ± 3.04, respectively, and the best chelating ability of Fe2+ could reach 44.67% ± 1.04. Overall, polysaccharides extracted from different parts of C. oleifera showed a certain antioxidant effect, and could be developed as a new type of pure natural antioxidant for food.

Background: Phoebe bournei is a potential medicinal plant whose essential oil (EO) from leaves has potential inhibitory activities against some bacterium, tumor, and has a certain potential for hypoglycemic activity. Fertilization is a common and effective method to increase plant biomass, which can increase the raw material of essential oil, but has a certain impact on the composition and biological activity of plant essential oil. Results: The main components are sesquiterpenes in the essential oils from leaves and twigs. The yield of the essential oils and the content of their main components can be modulated by compost and compound fertilizer, to different degrees, and minor differences were registered among the categories of the components in essential oils. However, changes were strongly mirrored in some main components of essential oils. The content of the primary (+) - calarene in the leaf EO were strongly increased by compost, but the opposite happened by compound fertilizer. On the contrary, the effect of compound fertilizer was more significant on the main components of twig essential oil than compost. The transcriptome sequencing results of P. bournei showed that the total number of DEGs in twigs and leaves treated with compost were significantly more than that with compound fertilizer. No change was found in the expression of genes regulating principal components. However, the expression of several key genes regulating the upstream substrates for the synthesis of the sesquiterpenes was significantly changed: the expression of two key speed limiting enzymes genes (DXS and HMGR) and two important branch-point enzyme genes (FPPS and GGPPS) was significantly down regulated, while the expression of gene (HMGS) was significantly up-regulated. Conclusion: The expression levels of genes (DXS2, HMGR, FPPS and GGPPS) were significantly down regulated in leaves treated with compost, resulting in the changes of the yield and main components of the leaf essential oil. The effect of compost was more significant on the synthesis of the essential oil from P. bournei leaves than that of compound fertilizer.

Bergenia emeiensis is a traditional folk medicine in China. Most studies are focusing on the bioactivity of bergenin, neglecting other compounds. Therefore, in this present work, the antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer abilities of triterpenes from B. emeiensis rhizomes (TBE) were comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that TBE could well scavenge DPPH with a lower EC50 of 0.29 mg/mL and could improve the cell viability of CHO cells against H2O2 induced cell death. Additionally, TBE also enhanced the resistance of C. elegans under thermal stress, exhibiting a strong antioxidant potential in vivo. Moreover, TBE showed a certain antibacterial ability on five kind strains such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa while TBE could not significantly inhibit the growth of plant pathogenic fungi. Furthermore, TBE possessed an excellent suppression ability on the proliferation of cancer cells especially Hela and Hep G2 cells with an IC50 of 41.79 μg/mL and 48.62 μg/mL at 48 h, respectively. After fractionally extracted with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and ethanol, ethanol phase (EP) contained the most triterpenes, followed by ethyl acetate phase (EAP) and petroleum ether phase (PEP). Besides, EP and EAP exhibited a strong antioxidant capacity and also inhibited the proliferation of Hela and Hep G2 cells with the effect of pro-oxidation by inducing a high level of ROS and decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential, thus causing oxidative stress then inducing cell apoptosis. Therefore, these outcomes indicated the triterpenes from B. emeiensis possessed a strong antioxidant ability and an anticancer effect, thus making B. emeiensis become a promising potential alternative in pharmacological field.

Oleuropein, a bitter substance that exists in olive leaves, can be hydrolyzed to hydroxytyrosol. These are the main phenolic compounds, and they have beneficial properties to human bodies. In this study, we established a simple and new method to determine oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol quickly by HPLC. HPLC conditions were set as follows: water (A) acetonitrile (B) as mobile phase, gradient elution orders: 90%A–10%B for 0–10 min, 80%A–20%B for 14–30 min, and then change to 90%A–10%B for 30–33 min; detection wavelength: 280 nm. Compared with other detection methods, the method simplified the elution procedure and shortened the time. Additionally, we provided a better drying method and preservation of olive leaves in tea drinking production that were air-dried at room temperature of 25 °C.

AbstractAlveolar epithelial cells (ACEs) gradually senescent as aging, which is one of the main causes of respiratory defense and function decline. Investigating the mechanisms of ACE senescence is important for understanding how the human respiratory system works. NAD+ is reported to reduce during the aging process. Supplementing NAD+ intermediates can activate sirtuin deacylases (SIRT1–SIRT7), which regulates the benefits of exercise and dietary restriction, reduce the level of intracellular oxidative stress, and improve mitochondrial function, thereby reversing cell senescence. We showed that nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) could effectively mitigate age‐associated physiological decline in the lung of 8–10 months old C57BL/6 mice and bleomycin‐induced pulmonary fibrosis in young mice of 6–8 weeks. Besides, the treatment of primary ACEs with NMN can markedly ameliorate cell senescence phenotype in vitro. These findings to improve the respiratory system function and reduce the incidence and mortality from respiratory diseases in the elderly are of great significance.