Green manure incorporation enhanced soil labile phosphorus and fruit tree growth.

Introduction: The incorporation of green manures substantially enhances the conversion of external phosphorus (P) fertilizers and soil-reserved P into forms readily available to plants. The study aims to evaluate the influence of green manure additions on soil phosphorus dynamics and citrus growth, considering different green manure species and initial soil phosphorus levels. Additionally, the research seeks to elucidate the microbiological mechanisms underlying the observed effects. Methods: A citrus pot experiment was conducted under both P-surplus (1.50 g·P·kg-1) and P-deficient (0.17 g·P·kg-1) soils with incorporating legume (Leg), non-legume (Non-Leg) or no green manure residues (CK), and 18O-P labeled KH2PO4 (0.5 g, containing 80‰ δ18Op) was additionally introduced to trace the turnover characteristics of chemical P fertilizer mediated by soil microorganisms. Results and discussion: In P-surplus soil, compared with the CK treatment, the Leg treatment significantly increased soil H2O-Pi (13.6%), NaHCO3-Po (8.9%), NaOH-Pi (9.5%) and NaOH-Po (30.0%) content. It also promoted rapid turnover of P sources into H2O-Pi and NaHCO3-Pi pools by enhancing the phoC (576.6%) gene abundance. In contrast, the Non-Leg treatment significantly augmented soil H2O-Pi (9.2%) and NaHCO3-Po (8.5%) content, facilitating the turnover of P sources into NaHCO3-Pi pools. Under P-deficient soil conditions, compared with the CK treatment, the Leg treatment notably raised soil H2O-Pi (150.0%), NaHCO3-Pi (66.3%), NaHCO3-Po (34.8%) and NaOH-Pi (59.0%) content, contributing to the transfer of P sources into NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Pi pools. This effect was achieved through elevated ALP (33.8%) and ACP (12.9%) activities and increased pqqC (48.1%), phoC (42.9%), phoD (21.7%), and bpp (27.4%) gene abundances. The Non-Leg treatment, on the other hand, led to significant increases in soil NaHCO3-Pi (299.0%) and NaHCO3-Po (132.6%) content, thereby facilitating the turnover of P sources into NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Pi pools, except for the phoC gene abundance. Both Leg and Non-Leg treatments significantly improved citrus growth (7.3-20.0%) and P uptake (15.4-42.1%) in P-deficient soil but yielded no substantial effects in P-surplus soil. In summary, introducing green manure crops, particularly legume green manure, emerges as a valuable approach to enhance soil P availability and foster fruit tree growth in orchard production.

Comparative efficacy and tolerability of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic formulations for adult patients with mild-moderate ulcerative colitis in an adjunctive therapy: A network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics (PPS) have been widely used as adjuvant treatments in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in recent years. However, the most effective formulations of PPS have yet to be identified. We thus aimed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of different PPS formulations for mild-moderate UC. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to June 24, 2023 for double-blind randomized controlled trials. We used a frequentist approach in random-effects models for network meta-analysis and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach to evaluate the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: We analysed data from 20 trials involving 1153 patients. The combinations of specific strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (CLB) (odds ratio (OR), 3.85; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.40-10.60; low certainty) and combinations of specific strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus (CLBS) (OR, 2.20; 95 % CI, 1.47-3.28; low certainty) significantly increased the clinical remission rate in intention-to-treat analysis (ITT) when compared to placebo. Similarly, compared with placebo, the two combinations significantly reduced clinical activity scores (standardized mean difference (SMD), -1.17 (95 % CI, -1.68 to -0.65), low certainty; and SMD, -1.33 (95 % CI, -1.81 to -0.86), low certainty, respectively). Hierarchical cluster analyses showed the two combinations formed clusters with high efficacy (clinical remission in ITT and clinical activity score) and tolerability (withdrawal due to worsening symptoms) within 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: In this systematic review, we found CLB and CLBS demonstrated a clinical benefit in adjuvant treatments, with a comparable tolerability and safety profile to placebo. Further trials are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022344905.

Development of a flat conical chamber-based non-dispersive infrared CO2 gas sensor with temperature compensation.

In order to accurately monitor CO2 concentration based on the non-dispersive infrared technique, a novel flat conical chamber CO2 gas sensor is proposed and investigated by simulation analysis and experimental verification. First, the optical design software and computational fluid dynamics method are utilized to theoretically investigate the relationship between the energy distribution, absorption efficiency of infrared radiation, and chamber size. The simulation results show that the chamber length has an optimal value of 8 cm when the cone angle is 5° and the diameter of the detection surface is 1 cm, which makes infrared absorption efficiency optimal. Then, the flat conical chamber CO2 gas sensor system is developed, calibrated, and tested. The experimental results indicate that the sensor can accurately detect CO2 gas concentrations in the range of 0-2000 ppm at 25 °C. It is found that the absolute error of calibration is within 10 ppm, and the maximum repeatability and stability errors are 5.5 and 3.5%, respectively. Finally, the genetic neural network algorithm is presented to compensate for the output concentration of the sensor to solve the problem of temperature drift. Experimental results demonstrate that the relative error of the compensated CO2 concentration is varied from -0.85 to 2.32%, which is significantly reduced. The study has reference significance for the structural optimization of the infrared CO2 gas sensor and the improvement of the measurement accuracy.

Soil nitrification and denitrification in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations with different stand ages.

The variations in soil nitrification and denitrification processes, together with the abundances of functional microbes were investigated in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations with different stand ages of 5, 8, 21, 27, and 40 years old. The results showed that the net nitrification rate fluctuated with increasing forest ages, with that of 8-year- and 27-year-old C. lanceolata plantations being significantly lower than other stand ages. The abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) amoA in the 27-year-old plantation was significantly lower than that of the 40-year-old plantation, while there was no significant difference among the other stand ages. There was no significant difference in the abundance of AOB amoA gene, denitrifying functional genes or soil denitrification potential among different stand ages. The results of stepwise regression analysis showed that the abundance of AOA amoA gene was not significantly affected by soil physical and chemical properties. In addition, the abundance of AOB was positively associated with soil total carbon content and soil pH. The abundance of denitrifying functional genes including narG, nirK and nosZ increased with increasing soil pH. The abundance of nirK and nirS was influenced by soil total carbon. Stand age influenced soil net nitrification rate through the AOA amoA abundance. Moreover, soil denitrification potential was directly affected by stand age, or indirectly affected by stand age through soil microbial biomass carbon, soil pH and denitrifying gene abundance of narG and nirK. Compared with the denitrification process, soil nitrification and associated AOA amoA gene abundance were more sensitive to the development of C. lanceolata plantations. The rotation period sould be appropriately extended to reduce the risk of nitrogen losses resulting from soil nitrification.

Retracted: Cardioprotective Effect of Isosorbide Dinitrate Postconditioning Against Rat Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury In Vivo.

The Fig 4C and 4D are the same, but the author showed them as two parallel groups. Reference: Cardioprotective Effect of Isosorbide Dinitrate Postconditioning Against Rat Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury In Vivo Xinwen Zhao, Mengjuan Wang, Mei Li, Na Wu, Dalin Song Med Sci Monit 2019;25: 1629-1636 10.12659/MSM.912814.

Cardioprotective Effect of Isosorbide Dinitrate Postconditioning Against Rat Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury In Vivo.

BACKGROUND This study investigated the cardioprotective effect of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) postconditioning against rat myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo and provided a theoretical basis for clinical application. MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly divided 32 Wistar rats into 4 groups: sham group, I/R (ischemia/reperfusion) group, I-PostC group (with 3 cycles of 30 s reperfusion and 30 s reocclusion applied at the onset of reperfusion), and P-PostC group (nitrate postconditioning: isosorbide dinitrate (5mg/kg) was given 1 min before reperfusion). The left anterior descending artery (LAD) was occluded for 40 min, followed by a 180-min reperfusion. Relevant indicators were tested. The LAD was occluded again, then we determined the myocardial infarct size. Paraffinized sections were prepared and TUNEL detection was performed. RESULTS There were no significant differences in ischemic sizes between different groups. Compared with the I/R group, the levels of cTnI and myocardial infarct size in the I-PostC group and P-PostC group were significantly decreased (p<0.05). However, there were no significant difference between the I-PostC group and P-PostC group. Compared with the sham-operated group, the levels of cTnI and MDA in the I/R group, I-PostC group, and P-PostC group were significantly increased (p<0.05) and the levels of SOD were significantly decreased (p<0.05). Compared with the I/R group, I-PostC and P-PostC decreased the level of MDA and increased the level of SOD (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS ISDN postconditioning induces a similar cardioprotective effect as I-PostC. The potential mechanisms of cardioprotection of ISDN postconditioning might be via improvement of myocardial antioxidant capacity and reduced generation of reactive oxygen species.

Development of a light-initiated chemiluminescent assay for the quantitation of sIgE against egg white allergens based on component-resolved diagnosis.

The determination of specific IgE (sIgE) level is of great importance in IgE-mediated food allergies. Our aim was to develop a homogeneous immunoassay-light-initiated chemiluminescent assay (LICA)-for measuring allergen sIgE of a single component in egg white, thus evaluating the LICA-sIgE assay as a useful tool in the diagnosis of food allergy. The LICA-sIgE assay was performed by incubating serum sample with anti-human IgE antibody coated with chemiluminescer beads, streptavidin-coated sensitizer beads, and biotinylated antigens, which consist of four components in egg white. Serum samples from egg allergic patients (n = 70) and healthy volunteers (n = 30) were collected. For calibration, purified human IgE was used as the calibrator. Working conditions of this homogeneous immunoassay were optimized, analytical performance was determined, and correlation of the results between LICA and ImmunoCAP was evaluated. The assays were performed in 8-well plates with a sample volume diluted to 1:10 of 25 µl. Intra-assay precision (% coefficient of variation) ranged from 1.83 to 4.13%, and inter-assay precision ranged from 2.70 to 8.70%. It exhibited excellent sensitivity, which could distinguish between positive samples and negative samples even at a large dilution level. The sIgE-LICA and ImmunoCAP correlated well in patients allergic to single component (r 2 = 0.929). Also, the components ovomucoid and ovalbumin were best at predicting ImmunoCAP results, with the same area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.81, and a specificity of 90.0 and 93.3%, respectively. Our data show effective performance characteristics of LICA to detect sIgE in human serum based on component-resolved diagnostic tests (CRD). The homogeneous sIgE-LICA assay has the following key advantages: requires no washing, simplicity and rapidity, reproducibility, high-throughput, good performance in a liquid phase assay, and good suitability for sIgE diagnosis in food allergy based on CRD. Graphical abstract A light-initiated chemiluminescent assay was developed for the quantitation of sIgE against egg white allergens based on component-resolved diagnosis. Components Gal d 1 and Gal d 2 with the highest AUC values of 0.81 were considered the best at predicting egg allergy.

Clinical features of post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans in children undergoing long-term azithromycin treatment.

The aim of the present study was to outline any predisposing factors and clinical and radiological features of post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO) in pediatric patients, and to determine the effect of long-term azithromycin treatment on these factors. In total, 16 cases of children with PIBO were retrospectively reviewed. Adenovirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae were the most common etiological agents (12/16) in the children with PIBO. The patients presented with persistent dyspnea, a chronic cough, sputum production and wheezing following the initial lung infection. Chest X-rays indicated pulmonary overinflation and patchy ground-glass opacity. In addition, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans revealed patchy ground-glass opacity, bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening and mosaic perfusion in all 16 cases. A unilateral hyperlucent lung was observed in two cases. All the patients underwent treatment with low-dose azithromycin and prednisone. Follow-up examinations of the 16 cases, varying in duration between 7 and 31 months, showed that the disease condition had improved in 10 cases. However, no significant improvements were identified from the HRCT scans or were observed in the patient condition in the additional six cases. The diagnosis of BO is primarily based on a typical clinical presentation and HRCT observations. Therefore, a typical clinical history and patchy ground-glass opacity features on HRCT scans are screening indices that predict BO development. Steroids are the cornerstone of BO treatment; however, long-term azithromycin treatment can improve the condition of the patients. In summary, PIBO is a disease with a high morbidity rate and should be treated by a multidisciplinary team. Patients should receive follow-up examination for an extended period. Patchy ground-glass opacity features on HRCT scans indicate that clinical suspicion of BO is necessary in children with persistent and severe wheezing.

Molecular identification of microbial community in surface and undersurface douchi during postfermentation.

To find the reason for fermentation failure of surface Douchi during postfermentation, the microbial communities in undersurface and surface samples were investigated using cell counting method and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results showed that the microbial biomass in surface Douchi was obviously different from that in undersurface Douchi even sampled from the same fermentation tanks, and a 10- to 100-fold reduction of microbial cell counts in undersurface had been observed. The bacterial DGGE profile and principal component analysis (PCA) results indicated that only Lactococcus lacts subsp. lactis and Bacillus thermoamylovorans were detected from surface Douchi, while Lactococcus lacts subsp. lactis, Staphylococcus lentus and 2 uncultured strains occupied the dominant positions in undersurface Douchi; when amplified using Bacillus-specific primers, Bacillus thermoamylovorans, Bacillus subtilis, and Enterobacter sp. were found in undersurface Douchi, while only Bacillus thermoamylovorans were detected from surface Douchi; compared to the bacteria and Bacillus, the DGGE profiles and PCA plot of fungi indicated that the fungal community between surface and undersurface Douchi was similar and mainly composed by yeasts. In this study, we detected the microbial biomass and species in postfermentation stage of Douchi, and the various microbial diversity in undersurface and surface samples might be the cause of the fermentation failure in surface fermentation tanks.

Application of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to microbial diversity analysis in Chinese Douchi.

BACKGROUND: Douchi is a traditional Chinese soybean food which has been consumed for thousands years as an important protein source and flavouring ingredient. Studies have rarely been carried out to investigate its microbial composition and these are urgently required for the commercial labels and safety considerations. RESULTS: Microbial counts were statistically significant different among Douchi samples. Although the maximum diversity indexes of bacterial, bacillus and fungal polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) patterns were only 79%, 70% and 64%, some microorganisms, e.g. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Pseudomonas sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia farinose, were found to share dominant positions in most Douchi samples. In addition, some pathogens, e.g. Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Pantoea sp., Staphylococcus sciuri, Enterobacter sp. and Staphylococcus sp., were also identified. CONCLUSION: The PCR-DGGE technique was used for the first time as an effective method to assess the microbial communities in different Chinese Douchi samples. This information may be useful in improving the product quality, reformatting production methods, extending shelf life and scaling up the fermentation process.