Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which significantly affects human health, has two primary presentations: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). Highland barley is the most common food crop for Tibetans and contains much more β-glucan than any other crop. Highland barley β-glucan (HBBG) can relieve the gastrointestinal dysfunction and promote intestines health. This study aimed to evaluate whether HBBG can relieve UC in mice. A mouse model of UC was established by adding 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to drinking water for 1 week. UC was alleviated after the introduction of the HBBG diet, as indicated by reductions in the disease activity index (DAI) score, histopathological damage, and the concentration of colonic myeloperoxidase (MPO), along with an improvement in colonic atrophy. Furthermore, we found that HBBG can increase the relative transcriptional levels of genes encoding ZO-1, claudin-1, occludin, and mucin2 (MUC2), thereby reducing intestinal permeability. Additionally, HBBG maintained the balance of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and modulated the structure of the intestinal flora.

The soft rot disease caused by Rhizopus stolonifer is an important disease in cherry tomato fruit. In this study, the effect of iturin A on soft rot of cherry tomato and its influence on the storage quality of cherry tomato fruit were investigated. The results showed that 512 μg/mL of iturin A could effectively inhibit the incidence of soft rot of cherry tomato fruit. It was found that iturin A could induce the activity of resistance-related enzymes including phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), glucanase (GLU), and chitinase (CHI), and active oxygen-related enzymes including ascorbate peroxidases (APX), superoxide dismutases (SOD), catalases (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR) of cherry tomato fruit. In addition, iturin A treatment could slow down the weight loss of cherry tomato and soften the fruit. These results indicated that iturin A could retard the decay and improve the quality of cherry tomato fruit by both the inhibition growth of R. stolonifera and the inducing the resistance.

Hearing loss imposes a significant global health burden and often results from genetic factors and various external influences, such as noise exposure and the use of ototoxic drugs. Recent advancements in adeno‐associated virus (AAV)‐mediated gene therapy offer promising new avenues for the treatment of inner ear diseases. Clinical trials of AAV‐mediated gene therapies show impressive preliminary results, although further research is needed to evaluate the safety and long‐term effects of these therapies. Preclinical AAV‐mediated gene therapy is notable for its high transduction efficiency and safety. In this article, the development of AAV‐mediated gene therapies is reviewed for inner ear diseases, categorizing these therapies by their strategies for treating hereditary hearing loss, including gene replacement and cluster regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat‐based methods. AAV‐mediated hair cell regeneration therapy is also reviewed for acquired hearing loss, as well as methods to prevent acquired hearing loss. In this article, it is hoped to provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress in AAV‐mediated gene therapy and its future potential, thereby highlighting the importance of this therapy for researchers and clinicians in the field.