Dynamics of sediment-associated nitrogen export from intermittent streams in subtropical forests of southeast China.

The significance of intermittent streams in nutrient loss within forest ecosystems is becoming increasingly critical due to changes in precipitation patterns associated with global climate change. However, few studies have focused on nutrient export from intermittent streams. We conducted continuous sediment collection from intermittent streams from March 2022 to February 2023 to investigate the export pattern and mechanism of sediment-associated nitrogen (N) from intermittent streams of different forest types (composed forest of Castanopsis carlesii (Cas. carlesii) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (C. lanceolata) forests, compared to Cas. carlesii forests). We measured the N concentrations and calculated the export amounts of four common forms of N associated with sediments: total N (TN), dissolved N (DN), nitrate, and ammonia. Our results showed that (1) the annual average exports of TN, DN, nitrate, and ammonia associated with sediments from intermittent streams from both forest types were 273, 1.62, 0.26, and 0.84 kg ha-1, respectively; (2) N export was significantly higher in composite forests of Cas. carlesii and C. lanceolata, compared to Cas. carlesii forests; (3) stream sediment export amount positively affected N export both in composite forests and Cas. carlesii forests; and (4) N export was also controlled by rainfall amount and stream characteristics. Our study quantified sediment-associated N export from intermittent streams among different subtropical forest types, which will enhance our understanding of N dynamics associated with stream hydrological processes in subtropical forests.

Oral delivery of pH-sensitive nanoparticles loaded Celastrol targeting the inflammatory colons to treat ulcerative colitis.

The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is rapidly rising worldwide. Oral drug delivery system is a promising approach for treating UC, but it often fails to accumulate to the inflammatory lesions, thus, it is impressive to develop a colon-targeted oral delivery system for preventing systemic toxicity and maintaining UC therapeutics. Here, a negative-charged PLGA nanoparticle system was designed to encapsulate celastrol (Cel), and then chitosan and mannose were coated on the surface of the nanoparticles (MC@Cel-NPs) to endow these nanoparticles with the mucosal adsorption and macrophage targeting abilities. MC@Cel-NPs demonstrate excellent resist decomposition ability against the strong acidic gastrointestinal environment, and accumulates in the specific inflammatory sites through the affinity of electrostatic reaction. After releasing the payload, MC@Cel-NPs could remarkably alleviate the colon inflammation, which was evidenced by the decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in both blood and colon sections, and scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in colon cells, including macrophage, neutrophil, T cell, and B cell. This nanoparticle system provided a new approach for treating UC through a Chinese herbal ingredient-related oral delivery manner.

Mangrove wetland recovery enhances soil carbon sequestration capacity of soil aggregates and microbial network stability in southeastern China.

Mangrove wetlands are highly productive ecosystems in tropical and subtropical coastal zones, play crucial roles in water purification, biodiversity maintenance, and carbon sequestration. Recent years have seen the implementation of pond return initiatives, which have facilitated the gradual recovery of mangrove areas in China. However, the implications of these initiatives for soil aggregate stability, microbial community structure, and network interactions remain unclear. This study assesses the impacts of converting ponds to mangroves-both in natural and artificially restored settings-on soil aggregate stability and microbial networks at typical mangrove restoration sites along China's southeastern coast. Our observations confirmed our hypothesis that pond-to-mangrove conversions resulted in an increase in the proportion of large aggregates (>0.25 mm), improved soil aggregate structural stability, and increased carbon sequestration. However, mangrove recovery led to a decrease in the abundance and diversity of soil fungi communities. In terms of co-occurrence networks, naturally restored mangrove wetlands exhibited more nodes and edges. The naturally recovered mangrove wetlands demonstrated a higher level of community symbiosis compared to those that were manually restored. Conversely, bacterial networks showed a different pattern, with significant shifts in key taxa related to carbon sequestration functions. For instance, the proportion of bacterial Desulfobacterota and fungi Basidiomycota in natural recovery mangrove increased by 15.03 % and 7.82 %, respectively, compared with that in aquaculture ponds. Soil fungi and bacteria communities, as well as carbon sequestration by aggregates, were all positively correlated with soil total carbon content (P < 0.05). Both bacterial and fungal communities contributed to soil aggregate stability. Our study highlights the complex relationships between soil microbial communities, aggregate stability, and the carbon cycle before and after land-use changes. These findings underscore the potential benefits of restoring mangrove wetlands, as such efforts can enhance carbon storage capacity and significantly contribute to climate change mitigation.

Nano-enabled strategies to promote safe crop production in heavy metal(loid)-contaminated soil.

Nanobiotechnology is a potentially safe and sustainable strategy for both agricultural production and soil remediation, yet the potential of nanomaterials (NMs) application to remediate heavy metal(loid)-contaminated soils is still unclear. A meta-analysis with approximately 6000 observations was conducted to quantify the effects of NMs on safe crop production in soils contaminated with heavy metal(loid) (HM), and a machine learning approach was used to identify the major contributing features. Applying NMs can elevate the crop shoot (18.2 %, 15.4-21.2 %) and grain biomass (30.7 %, 26.9-34.9 %), and decrease the shoot and grain HM concentration by 31.8 % (28.9-34.5 %) and 46.8 % (43.7-49.8 %), respectively. Iron-NMs showed a greater potential to inhibit crop HM uptake compared to other types of NMs. Our result further demonstrates that NMs application substantially reduces the potential health risk of HM in crop grains by human health risk assessment. The NMs-induced reduction in HM accumulation was associated with decreasing HM bioavailability, as well as increased soil pH and organic matter. A random forest model demonstrates that soil pH and total HM concentration are the two significant features affecting shoot HM accumulation. This analysis of the literature highlights the significant potential of NMs application in promoting safe agricultural production in HM-contaminated agricultural lands.

Dataset of soil hydraulic parameters in the Yellow River Basin based on in situ deep sampling.

Soil hydraulic parameters are vital for precisely characterizing soil hydrological processes, which are critical indicators for regulating climate change effects on terrestrial ecosystems and governing feedbacks between water, energy, and carbon-nitrogen cycles. Although many studies have integrated comprehensive soil datasets, data quality and cost challenges result in data completeness deficiencies, especially for deep soil information. These gaps not only impede methodological endeavours but also constrain soil parameter-based ecosystem process studies spanning from local profiles to global earth system models. We established a soil dataset across the entire Yellow River Basin (YRB) (795,000 km2) using high-density in situ field sampling. This observation-based dataset contains records of soil texture (2924), bulk density (2798), saturated hydraulic conductivity (2782), and water retention curve parameters (1035) down to a maximum depth of 5 m. This dataset, which extends the recorded data range for deep soil hydraulic parameters, is valuable as a direct data resource for environmental, agronomical and hydrological studies in the YRB and regions with similar pedological and geological backgrounds around the world.

Organic matter composition and stability in estuarine wetlands depending on soil salinity.

Coastal wetlands are key players in mitigating global climate change by sequestering soil organic matter. Soil organic matter consists of less stable particulate organic matter (POM) and more stable mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM). The distribution and drivers of MAOM and POM in coastal wetlands have received little attention, despite the processes and mechanisms differ from that in the upland soils. We explored the distribution of POM and MAOM, their contributions to SOM, and the controlling factors along a salinity gradient in an estuarine wetland. In the estuarine wetland, POM C and N were influenced by soil depth and vegetation type, whereas MAOM C and N were influenced only by vegetation type. In the estuarine wetland, SOM was predominantly in the form of MAOM (> 70 %) and increased with salinity (70 %-76 %), leading to long-term C sequestration. Both POM and MAOM increased with SOM, and the increase rate of POM was higher than that of MAOM. Aboveground plant biomass decreased with increasing salinity, resulted in a decrease in POM C (46 %-81 %) and N (52 %-82 %) pools. As the mineral amount and activity, and microbial biomass decreased, the MAOM C (2.5 %-64 %) and N pool (8.6 %-59 %) decreased with salinity. When evaluating POM, the most influential factors were microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Key parameters, including MBC, DOC, soil salinity, soil water content, aboveground plant biomass, mineral content and activity, and bulk density, were identified as influencing factors for both MAOM abundance. Soil water content not only directly controlled MAOM, but together with salinity also indirectly regulated POM and MAOM by controlling microbial biomass and aboveground plant biomass. Our findings have important implications for improving the accumulation and increased stability of soil organic matter in coastal wetlands, considering the global sea level rise and increased frequency of inundation.

Silicon in paddy fields: Benefits for rice production and the potential of rice phytoliths for biogeochemical carbon sequestration.

Silicon (Si) biogeochemical cycling is beneficial for crop productivity and carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural ecosystem, thus offering a nonnegligible role in alleviating global warming and food crisis. Compared with other crops, rice plants have a greater quantity of phytolith production, because they are able to take up a lot of Si. However, it remains unclear on Si supply capacity of paddy soils across the world, general rice yield-increasing effect after Si fertilizer addition, and factors affecting phytolith production and potential of phytolith C sequestration in paddy fields. This study used a meta-analysis of >3500 data from 87 studies to investigate Si supply capacity of global paddy soils and elaborate the benefits of Si regarding rice productivity and phytolith C sequestration in paddy fields. Analytical results showed that the Si supply capacity of paddy soils was insufficient in the major rice producing countries/regions. Dealing with this predicament, Si fertilization was an effective strategy to supply plant-available Si to improve rice productivity. Our meta-analysis results further revealed that Si fertilization led to the average increasing rate of 36 % and 39 % in rice yield and biomass, which could reach up to 52 % and 46 % with the increasing doses of Si fertilizer, respectively. Especially, this strategy also improved the potential of phytolith C sequestration through the increased phytolith content and rice biomass, despite that this potential might have a decline in old paddy soils (≥ 7000 year) compared to in young paddy soils (≤ 1000 year) due to the slow migration and dissolution of phytoliths at millennial scale. Our findings thus indicate that a deep investigation on the benefits of Si in agroecosystem will further improve our understanding on regulating crop production and the potential of biogeochemical C sequestration within phytoliths in global cropland.

Soil moisture decline in China's monsoon loess critical zone: More a result of land-use conversion than climate change.

Soil moisture (SM) is essential for sustaining services from Earth's critical zone, a thin-living skin spanning from the canopy to groundwater. In the Anthropocene epoch, intensive afforestation has remarkably contributed to global greening and certain service improvements, often at the cost of reduced SM. However, attributing the response of SM in deep soil to such human activities is a great challenge because of the scarcity of long-term observations. Here, we present a 37 y (1985 to 2021) analysis of SM dynamics at two scales across China's monsoon loess critical zone. Site-scale data indicate that land-use conversion from arable cropland to forest/grassland caused an 18% increase in SM deficit over 0 to 18 m depth (P < 0.01). Importantly, this SM deficit intensified over time, despite limited climate change influence. Across the Loess Plateau, SM storage in 0 to 10 m layer exhibited a significant decreasing trend from 1985 to 2021, with a turning point in 1999 when starting afforestation. Compared with SM storage before 1999, the relative contributions of climate change and afforestation to SM decline after 1999 were -8% and 108%, respectively. This emphasizes the pronounced impacts of intensifying land-use conversions as the principal catalyst of SM decline. Such a decline shifts 18% of total area into an at-risk status, mainly in the semiarid region, thereby threatening SM security. To mitigate this risk, future land management policies should acknowledge the crucial role of intensifying land-use conversions and their interplay with climate change. This is imperative to ensure SM security and sustain critical zone services.

Silicon reduces toxicity and accumulation of arsenic and cadmium in cereal crops: A meta-analysis, mechanism, and perspective study.

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are two toxic metal(loid)s that pose significant risks to food security and human health. Silicon (Si) has attracted substantial attention because of its positive effects on alleviating the toxicity and accumulation of As and Cd in crops. However, our current knowledge of the comprehensive effects and detailed mechanisms of Si amendment is limited. In this study, a global meta-analysis of 248 original articles with over 7000 paired observations was conducted to evaluate Si-mediated effects on growth and As and Cd accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and maize (Zea mays L.). Si application increases the biomass of these crops under As and/or Cd contamination. Si amendment also decreased shoot As and Cd accumulation by 24.1 % (20.6 to 27.5 %) and 31.9 % (29.0 to 31.9 %), respectively. Furthermore, the Si amendment reduced the human health risks posed by As (2.6 %) and Cd (12.9 %) in crop grains. Si-induced inhibition of Cd accumulation is associated with decreased Cd bioavailability and the downregulation of gene expression. The regulation of gene expression by Si addition was the driving factor limiting shoot As accumulation. Overall, our analysis demonstrated that Si amendment has great potential to reduce the toxicity and accumulation of As and/or Cd in crops, providing a scientific basis for promoting food safety globally.

Silicon fractionations in coastal wetland sediments: Implications for biogeochemical silicon cycling.

Coastal wetland sediment is important reservoir for silicon (Si), and plays an essential role in controlling its biogeochemical cycling. However, little is known about Si fractionations and the associated factors driving their transformations in coastal wetland sediments. In this study, we applied an optimized sequential Si extraction method to separate six sub-fractions of non-crystalline Si (Sinoncry) in sediments from two coastal wetlands, including Si in dissolved silicate (Sidis), Si in the adsorbed silicate (Siad), Si bound to organic matter (Siorg), Si occluded in pedogenic oxides and hydroxides (Siocc), Si in biogenic amorphous silica (Siba), and Si in pedogenic amorphous silica (Sipa). The results showed that the highest proportion of Si in the Sinoncry fraction was Siba (up to 6.6 % of total Si (Sitot)), followed by the Sipa (up to 1.8 % of Sitot). The smallest proportion of Si was found in the Sidis and Siad fractions with the sum of both being <0.1 % of the Sitot. We found a lower Siocc content (188 ± 96.1 mg kg-1) when compared to terrestrial soils. The Sidis was at the center of the inter-transformation among Si fractions, regulating the biogeochemical Si cycling of coastal wetland sediments. Redundancy analysis (RDA) combined with Pearson's correlations further showed that the basic biogenic elements (total organic carbon and total nitrogen), pH, and sediment salinity collectively controlled the Si fractionations in coastal wetland sediments. Our research optimizes sediment Si fractionation procedure and provides insights into the role of sedimentary Si fractions in controlling Si dynamics and knowledge for unraveling the biogeochemical Si cycling in coastal ecosystems.

The relationship between dietary patterns and blood mineral concentration among children in Hunan Province of China.

BACKGROUND: Minerals have crucial biological functions in metabolism and are primarily obtained through diet. As a result, various dietary patterns can impact blood mineral levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between dietary patterns and the concentration of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper in the bloodstream. METHODS: Three hundred eighty healthy children (53.7% male) were recruited in a region of Hunan Province in September 2019. We gathered basic information and measured physical proportions, along with completing a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Using principal component analysis (PCA), we determined dietary patterns. To analyze mineral levels in the blood, we used flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). We utilized linear regression models to investigate if certain dietary patterns are related to mineral concentration. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns were identified: 'Vegetables/Nuts,' 'Snacks/Beverages,' and 'Cereal/Beans.' Children from high-income families (annual average income > 50,000 yuan) prefer the 'Vegetables/Nuts' dietary pattern (P = 0.004). In comparison, those from low-income families (annual average income < 20,000 yuan) prefer the 'Snacks/Beverages' dietary pattern (P = 0.03). Following adjustment for age, gender, guardian's identity, education level, and annual household income. We found that an increase in the 'Vegetables/Nuts' pattern score (ß = 0.153, CI: 0.053 ~ 0.253; P = 0.003) and 'Snacks/Beverages' pattern score (ß = 0.103, CI: 0.002 ~ 0.204; P = 0.033) were significantly associated blood copper concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Household income was found to be associated with dietary behavior. Furthermore, higher blood copper concentration was significantly correlated with the 'Vegetables/Nuts' dietary pattern and 'Snacks/Beverages' dietary pattern, but the correlation is extremely low.

Industrial and agricultural waste amendments interact with microorganism activities to enhance P availability in rice-paddy soils.

Adding industrial and agricultural wastes to farmland can increase soil available phosphorus (P) pool and boost crop production, but the process affecting soil P transformation and bioavailability is still poorly understood. We studied the effects of straw (ST), biochar (BC) and Si-modified biochar (Si-BC) amendments on the available-P content and its fraction transformation in rice-paddy soils. Our results showed that these three soil amendments significantly increased the concentrations of both microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass-P (MBP) during the first rice season; by contrast, the effects of ST and BC application were relatively poor on acid-phosphatase (ACP) activity, which was increased by 24 % under ST and 14 % under BC. Soil total P concentrations did not differ significantly, although the concentration and percentage of each P-fraction were altered significantly among treatments. Although all three applications increase soil available-P concentration by promoting the transformation of organic-P (Po) components to inorganic-P (Pi), there are differences in the transformation efficiency of the soil P fraction between these amendments. Redundancy analysis results also showed significant clustering of soil P-fraction transformations after ST and BC treatments. Structural equation model analysis further indicated that all amendments regulated microbial processes by changing soil pH and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), thereby promoting soil P transformation and improving P efficiency. Sodium bicarbonate-extractable Po (NaHCO3-Po) contributed most to soil available-P under the different amendments. Compared to ST and Si-BC, BC application improved more soil microbial status and the transformation of soil unavailable-P into available-P, therefore the application of BC in rice fields is the most beneficial method to promote phosphorus use and production sustainability in rice. These findings helped to understand the effects of using industrial and agricultural waste (e.g. straw, biochar and Si-modified biochar) on soil P-fractions and so provided a reference for sustainable resource use and green production in rice-paddy ecosystems.

Specific PhytOC fractions in rice straw and consequent implications for potential of phytolith carbon sequestration in global paddy fields.

Phytoliths are silica biomineralization products within plants and have been considered as a promising material to sequester carbon (C). However, there is considerable uncertainty and controversy regarding the C content in phytoliths due to the lack of detailed information on variation of C under different extraction procedures. Herein, we established a series of batch digestion experimental procedures coupled with analyses of phytoliths using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy to divide phytoliths into three fractions. We then reported an approach for standardizing across hundreds of values found in the literature. Combining this standardized approach with C contents in phytoliths extracted from different digestion degrees, we revaluated the potential production rates of phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) input globally in rice paddy fields. The results showed that the C content in recovered phytoliths exhibited a significantly fitting exponential relationship (p < 0.01) with digestion degrees and decreased from 30 to 75 g kg-1 under moderate digestion to <5 g kg-1 under over digestion. On a global scale, the production of total PhytOC in the world paddy fields reached up to (2.71 ± 0.85) × 106 t year-1. Therein, the contribution of sub-stable PhytOC fraction, stable PhytOC fraction, and recalcitrant PhytOC fraction was 63 %, 28 %, and 9 %, respectively. Our results imply that the estimation of phytolith C sequestration potential across the global paddy fields is associated with specific PhytOC fractions. Therefore, further determining the storage time limits of these specific PhytOC fractions after returning to soil will be vital for predicting terrestrial biogeochemical C sequestration potentials of phytoliths.

Knockdown of Circ_0000798 Impedes Cell Growth and Motility of Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Through Functioning as miRNA Sponge for miR-589-5p.

GSE137836 and GSE100186 shows that upregulated hsa_circRNA_0000798 (circ_0000798) is associated with the development and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, its biological functions in RCC cells remain unclarified. Here, we planned to explore its action and action of mechanism in RCC cells. Real-time quantitative PCR detected RNA expression and western blotting and immunohistochemistry measured protein expression. In vitro assays, including MTT, EdU, Transwell, and plate colony, scratch wound, apoptosis, and cell cycle assays, and in vivo xenograft tumor model were launched to measure cell dysfunctions. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down were employed to identify target relationship. Circ_0000798 is upregulated in RCC patients' tumors and cells, and high circ_0000798 is associated with shorter overall survival. RNA interference of circ_0000798 impedes cell metabolic viability and abilities of DNA synthesis, colony formation, wound healing, migration, and invasion in RCC cells but also induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, circ_0000798 interference could delay tumor growth in vivo. Proliferation markers Ki67 and Bcl-2 were depressed by inhibiting circ_0000798, accompanied with promoted levels of apoptosis proteins Bax and cleaved caspase-3. Of note, circ_0000798 functions as microRNA (miR) sponge for miR-589-5p and thus controls the expression of miR-589-5p-targeting Ras-GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 1 (G3BP1), a newly identified tumor-promoting gene in RCC. Their expressions are linearly correlated with each other in these tumor samples. Circ_0000798 might function oncogenic role in RCC and its downregulation could combat RCC cell growth and motility via targeting miR-589-5p/G3BP1 axis.

The Effects of Immediate vs Gradual Reduction in Nicotine Content of Cigarettes on Smoking Behavior: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Background: In recent years, much research has examined the effects of various interventions and treatments for smoking cessation. The results suggest that interventions targeting changes of nicotine content can help smokers reduce tobacco use or quit smoking. A number of clinical studies show that smokers who received an immediate reduction in nicotine content to very low levels have significantly greater reductions in the number of cigarettes smoked and toxic substance exposure compared to those with gradual reductions. However, from the perspective of smoking craving, whether the immediate and gradual reduction in nicotine content reduce smoking by reducing cravings needs further investigation. Methods: 74 eligible Participants were randomly allocated to one of the two experimental conditions: (1) immediate reduction to 0.1 mg of nicotine per cigarette (n = 40); (2) gradual reduction from 1.0 (0.8 g ~ 1.2 mg) to 0.1 mg of nicotine per cigarette (n = 34). All participants completed 1-week baseline period during which they smoked their usual cigarette, followed by 16-week of interventions. The primary outcomes included cigarette cravings and number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD); secondary outcomes included the number of cigarette-free day and emotional states. Results: Among the 52 participants [51 (98.1%) men; mean (SD) age, 33.44 (6.71) years; mean (SD) CPD, 16.83 (9.94)] who completed the trial, significantly lower cravings for cigarettes were observed in the immediate (n = 25) vs. gradual nicotine reduction group (n = 27) in the morning (t = -2.072, p = 0.039) and after dinner (t = -2.056, p = 0.041). Compared with the baseline daily smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day was significantly reduced at the beginning of week 12 in the immediate nicotine reduction group (p = 0.001) and at week 16 in the gradual nicotine reduction group (p < 0.001). The number of participants with any cigarette-free day was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.198). The number of cigarette-free days was significantly more in the immediate vs. gradual nicotine reduction group (p = 0.027). Conclusions: The significantly lower cravings were observed in the immediate vs. gradual nicotine reduction group, and led to faster reduction in the number of CPD, and a significant increase in the number of cigarette-free days. These findings add to the evidence base for reduced nicotine content in cigarettes. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: ChiCTR2100048216.

A global meta-analysis of heavy metal(loid)s pollution in soils near copper mines: Evaluation of pollution level and probabilistic health risks.

With the rapid development of the mining industry, the pollution of heavy metal(loid)s in soils near copper (Cu) mining sites is a significant concern worldwide. However, the pollution status and probabilistic health risks of heavy metal(loid)s of soils associated with Cu mines, have rarely been studied on a global scale. In this study, eight heavy metal(loid) concentrations in soil samples taken near 102 Cu mining sites worldwide were obtained through a literature review. Based on this database, the heavy metal(loid) pollution and ecological risk in soils near Cu mines were evaluated. Most of the study sites exceeded the moderately to heavily polluted levels of Cu and Cd; compared to other regions, higher pollution levels were observed at sites in Oman, China, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Soil pollution by Cd, Pb, and Zn at agricultural sites was higher than that in non-agricultural sites. In addition, these heavy metal(loid)s produced a high ecological risk to soils around Cu mining sites in which the contribution of Cd, Cu, and As reached up to 46.5%, 21.7%, and 18.4%, respectively. The mean hazard indices of the eight heavy metal(loid)s were 0.209 and 0.979 for adults and children, respectively. The Monte Carlo simulation further predicted that 1.40% and 29.9% of non-carcinogenic risk values for adults and children, respectively, exceeded the safe level of 1.0. Moreover, 84.5% and 91.0% of the total cancer risk values for adults and children, respectively, exceeded the threshold of 1E-04. Arsenic was the main contributor to non-carcinogenic risk, while Cu had the highest exceedance of carcinogenic risk. Our findings indicate that the control of Cu, Cd, and As should be prioritized because of their high incidence and significant risks in soils near Cu mines. These results provide valuable inputs for policymakers in designing effective strategies for reducing the exposure of heavy metal(loid)s in this area worldwide.

High potential of stable carbon sequestration in phytoliths of China's grasslands.

Phytolith carbon (C) sequestration plays a key role in mitigating global climate change at a centennial to millennial time scale. However, previous estimates of phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) storage and potential in China's grasslands have large uncertainties mainly due to multiple data sources. This contributes to the uncertainty in predicting long-term C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems using Earth System Models. In this study, we carried out an intensive field investigation (79 sites, 237 soil profiles [0-100 cm], and 61 vegetation assessments) to quantify PhytOC storage in China's grasslands and to better explore the biogeographical patterns and influencing factors. Generally, PhytOC production flux and soil PhytOC density in both the Tibetan Plateau and the Inner Mongolian Plateau had a decreasing trend from the Northeast to the Southwest. The aboveground PhytOC production rate in China's grassland was 0.48 × 106 t CO2 a-1 , and the soil PhytOC storage was 383 × 106 t CO2 . About 45% of soil PhytOC was stored in the deep soil layers (50-100 cm), highlighting the importance of deep soil layers for C stock assessments. Importantly, the Tibetan Plateau had the greatest contribution (more than 70%) to the PhytOC storage in China's grasslands. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that altitude and soil texture significantly influenced the spatial distribution of soil PhytOC, explaining 78.1% of the total variation. Soil phytolith turnover time in China's grasslands was mainly controlled by climatic conditions, with the turnover time on the Tibetan Plateau being significantly longer than that on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Our results offer more accurate estimates of the potential for phytolith C sequestration from ecological restoration projects in degraded grassland ecosystems. These estimates are essential to parameterizing and validating global C models.

Supplying silicon alters microbial community and reduces soil cadmium bioavailability to promote health wheat growth and yield.

Soil amendments of black bone (BB), biochar (BC), silicon fertilizer (SI), and leaf fertilizer (LF) play vital roles in decreasing cadmium (Cd) availability, thereby supporting healthy plant growth and food security in agroecosystems. However, the effect of their additions on soil microbial community and the resulting soil Cd bioavailability, plant Cd uptake and health growth are still unknown. Therefore, in this study, BB, BC, SI, and LF were selected to evaluate Cd amelioration in wheat grown in Cd-contaminated soils. The results showed that relative to the control, all amendments significantly decreased both soil Cd bioavailability and its uptake in plant tissues, promoting healthy wheat growth and yield. This induced-decrease effect in seeds was the most obvious, wherein the effect was the highest in SI (52.54%), followed by LF (43.31%), and lowest in BC (35.24%) and BB (31.98%). Moreover, the induced decrease in soil Cd bioavailability was the highest in SI (29.56%), followed by BC (28.85%), lowest in LF (17.55%), and BB (15.30%). The significant effect in SI likely resulted from a significant increase in both the soil bioavailable Si and microbial community (Acidobacteria and Thaumarchaeota), which significantly decreased soil Cd bioavailability towards plant roots. In particular, a co-occurrence network analysis indicated that soil microbes played a substantial role in wheat yield under Si amendment. Therefore, supplying Si alters the soil microbial community, positively and significantly interacting with soil bioavailable Si and decreasing Cd bioavailability in soils, thereby sustaining healthy crop development and food quality.

Exploring the effects of formula feeding on infant immune development in China: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The worldwide exclusive breastfeeding rate is suboptimal and this study aims to evaluate effects on infant immune development of formula feeding. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study including 221 infants fed with breast milk or formula was conducted. At 3-month and 9-month, the concentrations of total immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgM, IgA, IgG1, IgG2, interleukin (IL)-4, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Natural killer (NK) cell activity and lymphocyte transformation testing were conducted. Furthermore, the occurrence of infantile diarrhea, respiratory infections and allergic diseases were questioned. RESULTS: The levels of total IgG (Z=-3.21, p=0.001), IgG1 (Z=-2.12, p=0.034), IFN-γ (t=-2.09, p=0.039) and NK cell activity (t=-2.14, p=0.034) were significant higher in formula-fed infants compared to breast-fed after 3 months. At 9-month, the levels of total IgG (Z=-4.34, p<0.001), IgA (Z=-2.05, p=0.041) and TNF-α (t=-2.10, p=0.037) of formula-fed infants were higher, but the lymphocyte stimulation index (t=2.76, p=0.007) was lower than breast-fed infants. While, no significant differences were found in the incidences of diarrhea and respiratory tract infection (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This investigation suggested that formula- and breast-feeding have different contributions to infant immune development, but the formula feeding would not cause significantly increase of diarrhea and respiratory infections.