Living foodborne pathogens pose a serious threat to public and population health. To ensure food safety, it is necessary to complete the detection of viable bacteria in a short time (several hours to 1 day). However, the traditional methods by bacterial culture, as the gold standard, are cumbersome and time-consuming. To break through the resultant research bottleneck, PCR mediated nucleic acid molecular recognition technologies, including RNA-based reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and DNA-based viability PCR (vPCR) have been developed in recent years. They not only sensitively amplify detection signals and quickly report detection results, but also distinguish viable and dead bacteria. Therefore, this review introduces these PCR-mediated techniques independent of culture for viable and dead foodborne pathogen detection from the nucleic acid molecular recognition principal level and describes their whole-process applications in food quality supervision, which provides a useful reference for the development of detection of foodborne pathogens in the future.

(1) Background: The diversity of blood biomarkers used to assess the metabolic mechanisms of hydrogen limits a comprehensive understanding of its effects on improving exercise performance. This study evaluated the impact of hydrogen-rich gas (HRG) on metabolites following sprint-interval exercise using metabolomics approaches, aiming to elucidate its underlying mechanisms of action. (2) Methods: Ten healthy adult males participated in the Wingate Sprint-interval test (SIT) following 60 min of HRG or placebo (air) inhalation. Venous blood samples were collected for metabolomic analysis both before and after gas inhalation and subsequent to completing the SIT. (3) Results: Compared with the placebo, HRG inhalation significantly improved mean power, fatigue index, and time to peak for the fourth sprint and significantly reduced the attenuation values of peak power, mean power, and time to peak between the first and fourth. Metabolomic analysis highlighted the significant upregulation of acetylcarnitine, propionyl-L-carnitine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine upon HRG inhalation, with enrichment pathway analysis suggesting that HRG may foster fat mobilization by enhancing coenzyme A synthesis, promoting glycerophospholipid metabolism, and suppressing insulin levels. (4) Conclusions: Inhaling HRG before an SIT enhances end-stage anaerobic sprint capabilities and mitigates fatigue. Metabolomic analysis suggests that HRG may enhance ATP recovery during interval stages by accelerating fat oxidation, providing increased energy replenishment for late-stage sprints.

Chinese formulation‐based medicinal food has been widely used in clinical trials, but its safety is not well studied. In this research, the edible safety assessment of Balanced Health Care Dan—a formulation containing traditional edible ingredients that were initially formulated to reduce side effects for lung cancer patients—was studied in mice based on biochemical and gut microbial analyses. The experimental mice were subcutaneously loaded with lung tumor A549 cells and then administrated with Balanced Health Care Dan (200 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg b.w. in gavage feeding) for 4 weeks. The body weight, blood parameters, and pathogenic phenotype in tissues were examined. No toxicological symptom was found in experimental mice compared with the normal control. Comprehensive analyses were also conducted to evaluate intestinal microbiota that are associated with many diseases. Balanced Health Care Dan modified the gut microbiota structure in a positive way. In conclusion, the Chinese formulation‐based medicinal food has shown no toxicological effect in mice within 4 weeks of feeding experiment and has the potential to be used in clinical trials.

The extraction method and bioactivity of tea polysaccharides from waste tea leaves and stems were investigated, with a particular focus on their biomechanical influence. Firstly, the extraction of tea polysaccharides was carried out using subcritical water, and the impact of various extraction conditions on the physicochemical properties of the polysaccharides was examined. Subsequently, this study evaluated the antioxidant activity of extracted tea polysaccharides using hydroxyl radical scavenging methods, and analyzed their effects on cell growth through cell viability experiments. In addition, the effects of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels on anti-inflammatory effects were measured. The immunomodulatory effects of tea polysaccharides were further explored through immune function assays. Moreover, the biomechanical properties of cells, such as their elasticity, membrane stiffness, and tissue flexibility, were assessed to understand the impact of tea polysaccharides on cellular and tissue mechanics. All data were subjected to statistical analysis to ensure the reliability of the experimental results. The findings indicate that tea polysaccharides possess significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and biomechanical properties, providing a reference for the resource utilization of waste tea leaves and stems, as well as potential application value for the development of new health products with integrated biomechanical benefits.