The aim of this work was to determine amino acid composition and in vitro antioxidant activities of Monodora myristica protein hydrolysate and its membrane ultrafiltration peptide fractions. The Alcalase hydrolysate was fractionated using ultrafiltration membranes to produce peptide sizes of less then 1, 1-3, 3-5, and 5-10 kDa. The results showed that sequential fractionation resulted in higher glycine and glutamic acid and glutamine contents. Analysis of in vitro antioxidant properties showed that fractionation of the M. myristica hydrolysate led to significant (p less then .05) improvements in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, metal chelation activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and hydroxyl (OH) radical scavenging activity. Linoleic acid oxidation was significantly (p less then .05) attenuated by the peptide fractions. We conclude that peptide antioxidant activities were significantly (p less then .05) improved by membrane fractionation, especially the 3-5 kDa fractiontion to preventing human degenerative diseases.This study evaluates the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of a mixture of lactoferrin hydrolysate (LfH), whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) and vanillin in vitro and in vivo to design a chemoprotective supplement for reducing the infection and oxidative stress induced by chemotherapy. The designed supplement showed significant antibacterial activity against E. coli. The supplement with the highest concentration exhibited considerable antioxidant activity in (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) DPPH free radicals, (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) ABTS, and reducing power assays. In the biochemical analysis of liver homogenate, the supplement 3 increased the level of enzymes Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and also the Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP) while decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in comparison to paclitaxel group, indicative of activity against oxidative stress. Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the designed supplement makes it a good candidate for use as a functional food to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS A dietary supplement composed of lactoferrin hydrolysate (LfH), whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) and vanillin showed antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus in vitro. The studied supplement also exhibited significant antioxidant properties in the model system and anti-oxidative stress activity in mice exposed to paclitaxel. This supplement has a potential for use in the food matrix to reduce the chemotherapy side effects and to act as a chemoprotective agent.IL-2 is a pro-inflammatory and a Th1 inducing cytokine, which is important for activation of the cell-mediated immunity. IL-2 in serum and sputum has been observed to be reduced in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The present IL-2 treatment study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lung infected mice was performed in order to evaluate the effect of IL-2 supplement. One hundred-and-twenty female BALB/c mice were divided into three groups 1) IL-2 treatment/infection (TIG), 2) non-treatment/infection (NTIG), and 3) IL-2 treatment/non-infection (TNIG). The mice were challenged intra-tracheally with PA (PAO579) embedded in seaweed alginate to resemble the biofilm mode of growth. At day 0 and 1, the treatment groups received IL-2 s.c. Mice were killed on day 1 or 2, and cytokine production, lung pathology, and quantitative lung bacteriology were estimated. IL-2 treatment of infected mice reduced the number of mice with signs of macroscopic lung pathology at day 2 (p less then 0.05). The reduced macroscopic pathology was paralleled by a reduced IL-1β and TNF-α. In contrast, an increased PMN response at day 2 was observed in the IL-2 treated mice (p less then 0.01). This was preceded by a significantly higher degree of microscopic inflammation at day 1 (p less then 0.02). The IL-12 levels decreased in both groups of infected mice at day 2 (p less then 0.01), however, significantly more in the IL-2 treated mice (p less then 0.02). In accordance, but surprisingly, IFN-γ was significantly reduced in the IL-2 treated PA infected group at day 2 (p less then 0.05). The present results indicate that early IL-2 treatment prolongs the PMN response but also reduces pro-inflammatory IL-1β and TNF-α and macroscopic signs of pathology.
  A lot remains unknown about the features and laboratory findings that may predict worse outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in complete blood count parameters and differential counts in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who survived compared to those who died.
 
  We performed a single-center retrospective study including 242 patients with confirmed COVID-19. We described the characteristics of the complete blood count parameters in these patients. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare hematologic parameters of patients who died and those who survived; multivariate logistic regression was used to look for associations with mortality.
 
  Patients with COVID-19 who died had significantly lower median absolute monocyte count (AMC) (0.4 vs 0.5, P=.039) and median platelet count (169 vs 213, P=.009) compared to those who survived. Patients who died had a significantly higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (6.4 vs 4.5, P=.001). The NLR was positively associated with death (OR=1.038; 95% CI, 1.003-1.074, P=.031), while AMC was inversely associated with death (OR=0.200; 95% CI, 0.052-0.761, P=.018).
 
  Among patients with COVID-19, a lower AMC and higher NLR are associated with higher mortality.
 Among patients with COVID-19, a lower AMC and higher NLR are associated with higher mortality.Although different cultural groups are known to vary in their tolerance for hot chili peppers, the influence of factors such as cultural background and upbringing on sensitivity to compounds in spicy food is unclear. A study was designed to investigate sensitivity differences to capsaicin between Caucasian American and South Asian Indian cultural groups while controlling for general chili pepper affinity. The two cultural groups were selected to match on metrics related to chili pepper use and liking. Subjects were exposed to a capsaicin (100 ppm) stimulus on the tongue, cheek, hard palate, and lip and rated the intensity of irritation every 30 s, over a 10-min period. Overall sensitivity to capsaicin in the oral cavity did not differ between the groups, nor were responses different between the groups depending on the oral cavity area stimulated.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/simnotrelvir.html  These data suggest a limited role of cultural attributes on capsaicin sensitivity between Caucasian Americans and South Asian Indians. The methods and findings here provide subject recruitment insight and guidance on effectively designing a sensory study to answer perceptual questions regarding specific subject groups.