Soil microbial influences over coexistence potential in multispecies plant communities in a subtropical forest.

Soil microbes have long been recognized to substantially affect the coexistence of pairwise plant species across terrestrial ecosystems. However, projecting their impacts on the coexistence of multispecies plant systems remains a pressing challenge. To address this challenge, we conducted a greenhouse experiment with 540 seedlings of five tree species in a subtropical forest in China and evaluated microbial effects on multispecies coexistence using the structural method, which quantifies how the structure of species interactions influences the likelihood for multiple species to persist. Specifically, we grew seedlings alone or with competitors in different microbial contexts and fitted individual biomass to a population dynamic model to calculate intra- and interspecific interaction strength with and without soil microbes. We then used these interaction structures to calculate two metrics of multispecies coexistence, structural niche differences (which promote coexistence) and structural fitness differences (which drive exclusion), for all possible communities comprising two to five plant species. We found that soil microbes generally increased both the structural niche and fitness differences across all communities, with a much stronger effect on structural fitness differences. A further examination of functional traits between plant species pairs found that trait differences are stronger predictors of structural niche differences than of structural fitness differences, and that soil microbes have the potential to change trait-mediated plant interactions. Our findings underscore that soil microbes strongly influence the coexistence of multispecies plant systems, and also add to the experimental evidence that the influence is more on fitness differences rather than on niche differences.

Potential Urine and Serum Biomarkers in Patients with Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis.

BACKGROUND: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common chronic disease, and its aetiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. This study aimed to identify potential urine and serum biomarkers in patients with IC/BPS to further understand the pathogenesis and diagnosis of the disease. METHODS: Patients with IC/BPS diagnosed and treated in the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 1 July 2021 to 30 July 2023 were selected. The urine and serum biomarkers of 50 patients with IC/BPS were investigated and compared with the urine and serum samples of 50 healthy controls. IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 was used for statistical analysis of the recorded data by using chi-square test, T-test and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 50 patients with IC/BPS (mean age, 54.20 ± 8.15 years) were included in the study. Those with history of urinary diseases, anxiety or depression were susceptible to IC/BPS. Levels of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nerve growth factor, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in urine, as well as IL-8, TNF-α, and PGE2 in serum, were found to significantly increase in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Multifactor analysis showed that anxiety, depression, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and PEG2 are risk factors for patients with IC/BPS. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple biomarkers were identified in the urine and serum of patients with IC/BPS, suggesting a potential close relationship to the pathogenesis of IC/BPS.

CXCR2/Snail-1-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in the Formation and Progression of RCC with Inferior Vena Cava Tumour Thrombus.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a common and highly invasive malignant tumour, presents clinical challenges due to its propensity for easy metastasis. Inferior vena cava tumour thrombus is a common RCC complication significantly impacting patient prognosis. This study investigates C-X-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CXCR2)/Snail-1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in RCC with inferior vena cava tumour thrombus. METHODS: Tissues from 51 RCC patients were analysed for CXCR2 and Snail-1 Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) levels using Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Elevated levels of both were observed in tumour and inferior vena cava tumour thrombus tissues. Using Short Hairpin RNA (shRNA) technology, we inhibited CXCR2 and Snail-1 expression to investigate their impact on EMT, invasiveness, and metastatic potential in RCC cells. RESULTS: Compared with that in the Short Hairpin RNA-Negative Control (ShNC) group, inhibition of CXCR2 and Snail-1 suppressed the degree of EMT, invasiveness, and metastatic ability of RCC cells (p < 0.01). Further mechanistic studies showed that CXCR2/Snail-1 participated in the formation and progression of RCC by regulating the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signalling pathways. Additionally, compared with that in the ShNC group, knockdown of CXCR2 and Snail-1 significantly inhibited the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9; p < 0.01), thereby regulating the metastasis of RCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that CXCR2/Snail-1-induced EMT plays an important role in the formation and progression of RCC with inferior vena cava tumour thrombus. CXCR2/Snail-1 participates in the invasion and metastasis of RCC by regulating the expression of multiple signalling pathways and related genes. These results provide new insights and directions for the treatment of RCC.

Application and development of zero-valent iron (ZVI)-based materials for environmental remediation: A scientometric and visualization analysis.

Zero-valent iron (ZVI)-based materials are among the most widely used engineered particles in the field of environmental remediation. To provide a comprehensive overview of the status and trend of the research on them, this study conducted a quantitative and visual analysis of 6296 relevant publications obtained from Web of Science between 1994 and 2022 using CiteSpace software. By using the bibliometric method, this work systematically analyzed the knowledge structure, research hotspots and trends of ZVI-based materials in this field. The results show that the research on ZVI-based materials in this field developed rapidly over the past 28 years. China is the greatest contributor with the most published articles and collaborations. Still, the USA has the most academic influence with the highest average citations per article. Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tongji University are the primary establishments that produced the greatest number of publications and had the highest h-index. Keyword cluster analysis indicates that the primary research topics are related to reductive dechlorination, sulfate radical, arsenic removal, graphene oxide, porous media, peroxymonosulfate, groundwater remediation, and permeable reactive barrier. Meanwhile, keyword burst analysis reveals that the primary research hotspots and frontiers of ZVI focus on its modification, the refractory and emerging contaminants treatment, persulfate activation, and electron transfer. However, no keywords or topics related to the environmental impact and toxicity of ZVI-based materials are available in the keyword clustering and burst analysis results, indicating this direction deserves more attention in future research. Through a comprehensive and in-depth bibliometric analysis, this paper provides new insight into the research hotspots and development trends of the research on ZVI-based materials in environmental remediation.

Characterization of the Transcriptome and Gene Expression of Tetraploid Black Locust Cuttings in Response to Etiolation.

Etiolation (a process of growing plants in partial or complete absence of light) promotes adventitious root formation in tetraploid black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) cuttings. We investigated the mechanism underlying how etiolation treatment promotes adventitious root formation in tetraploid black locust and assessed global transcriptional changes after etiolation treatment. Solexa paired-end sequencing of complementary DNAs (cDNAs) from control (non-etiolated, NE) and etiolated (E) samples resulted in 107,564 unigenes. In total, 52,590 transcripts were annotated and 474 transcripts (211 upregulated and 263 downregulated) potentially involved in etiolation were differentially regulated. These genes were associated with hormone metabolism and response, photosynthesis, signaling pathways, and starch and sucrose metabolism. In addition, we also found significant differences of phytohormone contents, activity of following enzymes i.e., peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and indole acetic acid oxidase between NE and E tissues during some cottage periods. The genes responsive to etiolation stimulus identified in this study will provide the base for further understanding how etiolation triggers adventitious roots formation in tetraploid black locus.