Functional and phylogenetic relationships link predators to plant diversity via trophic and non-trophic pathways.

Human-induced biodiversity loss negatively affects ecosystem function, but the interactive effects of biodiversity change across trophic levels remain insufficiently understood. We sampled arboreal spiders and lepidopteran larvae across seasons in 2 years in a subtropical tree diversity experiment, and then disentangled the links between tree diversity and arthropod predator diversity by deconstructing the pathways among multiple components of diversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional) with structural equation models. We found that herbivores were major mediators of plant species richness effects on abundance, species richness, functional and phylogenetic diversity of predators, while phylogenetic, functional and structural diversity of trees were also important mediators of this process. However, the strength and direction differed between functional, structural and phylogenetic diversity effects, indicating different underlying mechanisms for predator community assembly. Abundance and multiple diversity components of predators were consistently affected by tree functional diversity, indicating that the variation in structure and environment caused by plant functional composition might play key roles in predator community assembly. Our study highlights the importance of an integrated approach based on multiple biodiversity components in understanding the consequences of biodiversity loss in multitrophic communities.

Tree dissimilarity determines multi-dimensional beta-diversity of herbivores and carnivores via bottom-up effects.

Global biodiversity decline and its cascading effects through trophic interactions pose a severe threat to human society. Establishing the impacts of biodiversity decline requires a more thorough understanding of multi-trophic interactions and, more specifically, the effects that loss of diversity in primary producers has on multi-trophic community assembly. Within a synthetic conceptual framework for multi-trophic beta-diversity, we tested a series of hypotheses on neutral and niche-based bottom-up processes in assembling herbivore and carnivore communities in a subtropical forest using linear models, hieratical variance partitioning based on linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) and simulation. We found that the observed taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional beta-diversity of both herbivorous caterpillars and carnivorous spiders were significantly and positively related to tree dissimilarity. Linear models and variance partitioning for LMMs jointly suggested that as a result of bottom-up effects, producer dissimilarities were predominant in structuring consumer dissimilarity, the strength of which highly depended on the trophic dependencies on producers, the diversity facet examined, and data quality. Importantly, linear models for standardized beta-diversities against producer dissimilarities implied a transition between niche-based processes such as environmental filtering and competitive exclusion, which supports the role of bottom-up effect in determining consumer community assembly. These findings enrich our mechanistic understanding of the 'Diversity Begets Diversity' hypothesis and the complexity of higher-trophic community assembly, which is fundamental for sustainable biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

In Situ Anodic Oxidation Tuning of NiFeV Diselenide to the Core-Shell Heterojunction for Boosting Oxygen Evolution.

Developing non-noble metal-based core-shell heterojunction electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity and long-lasting stability is crucial for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, we prepared novel core-shell Fe,V-NiSe2@NiFe(OH)x heterostructured nanoparticles on hydrophilic-treated carbon paper with high electronic transport and large surface area for accelerating the oxygen evolution rate via high-temperature selenization and electrochemical anodic oxidation procedures. Performance testing shows that Fe,V-NiSe2@NiFe(OH)x possesses the highest performance for OER compared to as-prepared diselenide core-derived heterojunctions, which only require an overpotential of 243 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a low Tafel slope of 91.6 mV decade-1 under basic conditions. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirm the morphology and elementary stabilities of Fe,V-NiSe2@NiFe(OH)x after long-term chronopotentiometric testing. These advantages are largely because of the strong synergistic effect between the Fe,V-NiSe2 core with high conductivity and the amorphous NiFe(OH)x shell with enriched defects and vacancies. This study also presents a general approach to designing and synthesizing more active core-shell heterojunction electrocatalysts for OER.

Titanium dioxide-functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for highly selective isolation of phosphoproteins.

Selective isolation of phosphoproteins is of great significance in biological applications. Herein, titanium dioxide-functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles are prepared via a post-grafting method for selective capture of phosphoproteins. The fabricated nanoparticles possess a unique central-radial pore structure with a surface area of 666.66 m2 /g and a pore size of 22.2 nm. The high-binding affinity of TiO2 with the phosphate groups facilitates the selective adsorption of phosphoproteins. Moreover, the open central-radial pore structure endows the dendritic mesoporous nanoparticles with better adsorption performance toward phosphoproteins with respect to the commercial titanium dioxide nanoparticles and titanium dioxide-functionalized conventional mesoporous silica nanoparticles by providing more accessible affinity sites. At pH 2, an adsorption capacity of 157.2 mg/g is derived for ß-casein. The feasibility of the as-prepared dendritic material in real biological sample assay is demonstrated by the selective isolation of phosphoproteins from defatted milk, as illustrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis assay.

Host functional and phylogenetic composition rather than host diversity structure plant-herbivore networks.

Declining plant diversity alters ecological networks, such as plant-herbivore interactions. However, our knowledge of the potential mechanisms underlying effects of plant species loss on plant-herbivore network structure is still limited. We used DNA barcoding to identify herbivore-host plant associations along declining levels of tree diversity in a large-scale, subtropical biodiversity experiment. We tested for effects of tree species richness, host functional and phylogenetic diversity, and host functional (leaf trait) and phylogenetic composition on species, phylogenetic and network composition of herbivore communities. We found that phylogenetic host composition and related palatability/defence traits but not tree species richness significantly affected herbivore communities and interaction network complexity at both the species and community levels. Our study indicates that evolutionary dependencies and functional traits of host plants determine the composition of higher trophic levels and corresponding interaction networks in species-rich ecosystems. Our findings highlight that characteristics of the species lost have effects on ecosystem structure and functioning across trophic levels that cannot be predicted from mere reductions in species richness.

Purification of hemoglobin by adsorption on nitrogen-doped flower-like carbon superstructures.

Nitrogen-doped flower-like carbon superstructures (NPC-F) are prepared via carbonizing self-assembled polyimide nanosheets. SEM, TEM, XPS, and N2 sorption methods are adopted to characterize the flower-like structure. NPC-F exhibits adsorption selectivity for hemoglobin (Hb) because the specific pyridinic N groups of NPC-F could coordinate with the sixth vacancy of ferrous ion in hemoglobin. The adsorption behavior fits well with Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 360.0 mg g-1 and the adsorbed Hb could be lightly stripped from the NPC-F nanospheres surface by 0.5 wt% CTAB solution. Circular dichroism spectra indicate no obvious conformation changing of Hb during purification process by NPC-F nanospheres. Five cycles of a continuous adsorption/desorption experiment demonstrate the reusability of NPC-F as adsorbent for Hb. The prepared NPC-F superstructures are then employed for the isolation of Hb from human whole blood sample, obtaining high-purity Hb as demonstrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis assays. Graphical abstractNitrogen-doped flower-like carbon superstructure (NPC-F) is used to isolate target protein. NPC-F exhibits highly selective capture capacity towards hemoglobin because the specific pyridinic N groups of NPC-F could coordinate with the sixth vacant coordinating position of Fe2+ in hemoglobin.

Plant diversity enhances ecosystem multifunctionality via multitrophic diversity.

Ecosystem functioning depends on biodiversity at multiple trophic levels, yet relationships between multitrophic diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality have been poorly explored, with studies often focusing on individual trophic levels and functions and on specific ecosystem types. Here, we show that plant diversity can affect ecosystem functioning both directly and by affecting other trophic levels. Using data on 13 trophic groups and 13 ecosystem functions from two large biodiversity experiments-one representing temperate grasslands and the other subtropical forests-we found that plant diversity increases multifunctionality through elevated multitrophic diversity. Across both experiments, the association between multitrophic diversity and multifunctionality was stronger than the relationship between the diversity of individual trophic groups and multifunctionality. Our results also suggest that the role of multitrophic diversity is greater in forests than in grasslands. These findings imply that, to promote sustained ecosystem multifunctionality, conservation planning must consider the diversity of both plants and higher trophic levels.

Association of primary tumor location with long-term oncological prognosis following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma:A multicenter propensity score matching analysis.

PURPOSE: There is a striking laterality in the site of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a strong predominance for the right side; however, the impact of primary tumor location on long-term prognosis after hepatectomy of HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of primary tumor location on long-term oncological prognosis after hepatectomy for HCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of consecutive patients undergoing curative hepatectomy for HCC between 2008 and 2017 were analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of left-sided HCC (LS group) and right-sided HCC (RS group) were compared by using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. COX regression analysis was performed to assess the adjusted effect of tumor location on long-term oncological prognosis. RESULTS: Of the 2799 included patients, 707 (25.3%) and 2092 (74.7%) were in the LS and RS groups, respectively. Using PSM analysis, 650 matched pairs of patients were created. In the PSM cohort, median OS (66.0 vs. 72.0 months, P = 0.001) and RFS (28.0 vs. 51.0 months, P < 0.001) were worse among patients in the LS group compared to individuals in the RS group. After further adjustment for other confounders using multivariable COX regression analyses, HCC located on the left side remained independently associated with worse OS and RFS. CONCLUSION: Tumors located on the left side are associated with poorer OS and RFS after hepatectomy for HCC. Careful surgical options selection and frequent follow-up to improve long-term survival may be justified for HCC patients with left-sided primary tumors.

Multitrophic arthropod diversity mediates tree diversity effects on primary productivity.

Forests sustain 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services. Biodiversity experiments have demonstrated that plant diversity correlates with both primary productivity and higher trophic diversity. However, whether higher trophic diversity can mediate the effects of plant diversity on productivity remains unclear. Here, using 5 years of data on aboveground herbivorous, predatory and parasitoid arthropods along with tree growth data within a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in southeast China, we provide evidence of multidirectional enhancement among the diversity of trees and higher trophic groups and tree productivity. We show that the effects of experimentally increased tree species richness were consistently positive for species richness and abundance of herbivores, predators and parasitoids. Richness effects decreased as trophic levels increased for species richness and abundance of all trophic groups. Multitrophic species richness and abundance of arthropods were important mediators of plant diversity effects on tree productivity, suggesting that optimizing forest management for increased carbon capture can be more effective when the diversity of higher trophic groups is promoted in concert with that of trees.

Cancer-related stroke: Exploring personalized therapy strategies.

BACKGROUND: Cancer and ischemic stroke are two common diseases that threaten human health and have become the main causes of death in the world. It is estimated that one-in-ten patients with ischemic stroke have concomitant cancer, and this incidence is expected to increase as improvements in medical technology extends the life expectancy of cancer patients. DISCUSSION: Cancer-related stroke (CRS) refers to unexplained ischemic stroke in patients with active cancer that cannot be explained by current stroke mechanisms. Available evidence suggests that CRS accounts for 5-10% of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Although the incidence of CRS is gradually increasing, its underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Also, there is no consensus on acute treatment and secondary prevention of stroke. CONCLUSION: In this review, we retrospectively analyzed the incidence, mechanisms of CRS, its potential as a new stroke subtype, options for acute treatment, secondary prevention strategies, and disease progression, with the aim of attempting to explore personalized therapy strategies.

Tree diversity and functional leaf traits drive herbivore-associated microbiomes in subtropical China.

Herbivorous insects acquire microorganisms from host plants or soil, but it remains unclear how the diversity and functional composition of host plants contribute to structuring herbivore microbiomes. Within a controlled tree diversity setting, we used DNA metabarcoding of 16S rRNA to assess the contribution of Lepidoptera species and their local environment (particularly, tree diversity, host tree species, and leaf traits) to the composition of associated bacterial communities. In total, we obtained 7,909 bacterial OTUs from 634 caterpillar individuals comprising 146 species. Tree diversity was found to drive the diversity of caterpillar-associated bacteria both directly and indirectly via effects on caterpillar communities, and tree diversity was a stronger predictor of bacterial diversity than diversity of caterpillars. Leaf toughness and dry matter content were important traits of the host plant determining bacterial species composition, while leaf calcium and potassium concentration influenced bacterial richness. Our study reveals previously unknown linkages between trees and their characteristics, herbivore insects, and their associated microbes, which contributes to developing a more nuanced understanding of functional dependencies between herbivores and their environment, and has implications for the consequences of plant diversity loss for trophic interactions.

Iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes on bismuth titanate nanosheets for metal affinity separation of phosphoproteins.

Separation of phosphoproteins plays an important role for identification of biomarkers in life science. In this work, bismuth titanate supported, iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes were prepared for selective separation of phosphoproteins. The iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes were synthesized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and glycidyl methacrylate, followed by a ring opening reaction of epoxy group, and chelation of the obtained cis-diols with Fe3+ ions. The composite material was characterized to determine the size and thickness, the content of the organic polymer and the metal loading. The bismuth titanate supported, iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes showed selective binding for phosphoproteins in the presence of abundant interfering proteins, and a high binding capacity for phosphoproteins by virtue of the metal affinity between the metal ions on the polymer brushes and the phosphate groups in the phosphoproteins (664 mg ß-Casein per g sorbent). The thermoresponsive property of the polymer brushes made it possible to adjust phosphoprotein binding by changing temperature. Finally, separation of phosphoproteins from a complex biological sample (i.e. milk) was demonstrated using the nanosheet-supported thermoresponsive polymer brushes.

Boron-Modified Defect-Rich Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets: Reducing Nonspecific Adsorption and Promoting a High Capacity for Isolation of Immunoglobulin G.

A new type of boric acid derivative-modified molybdenum disulfide nanosheet was prepared by amination and sulfur chemical grafting, where lipoic acid, lysine, and 5-carboxybenzoboroxole were used as reactants. The two-dimensional composite, abbreviated as MoS2-Lys-CBX, is an ultrathin nanosheet with a minimum unit of single or few layers. Compared with the original molybdenum disulfide, the nonspecific adhesion of interfering proteins on the surface was reduced, and the adsorption capacity of glycoproteins was enhanced, which was 1682.2 mg g-1 represented by IgG. The adsorbed IgG can be easily eluted with 0.3 wt % CTAB with an elution efficiency of 94.1%. Circular dichroism spectra indicate no obvious conformation change of IgG during the purification process by the MoS2-Lys-CBX nanosheets. The as-prepared MoS2-Lys-CBX nanosheets were then employed for the isolation of IgG from human serum sample, obtaining high-purity light and heavy chains of IgG, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE assays.

[Corrigendum] Effects of simvastatin on iNOS and caspase­3 levels and oxidative stress following smoke inhalation injury.

After the publication of the above paper, the authors have noticed that the affiliations were presented incorrectly; essentially, Drs Rong­qiang Yang, Peng­fei Guo, Qing­nan Meng, Ya Gao, Imran Khan, Xiao­bo Wang and Zheng­jun Cui are based at the Department of Burn and Repair Reconstruction Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, whereas Drs Zhao Ma and Cheng Chang are located at The School of Basic Medical Science of Zhengzhou University. Therefore, the affiliations for this paper should have appeared as follows: Rong­Qiang Yang1, Peng­Fei Guo1, Zhao Ma2, Cheng Chang2, Qing­Nan Meng1, Ya Gao1, Imran Khan1, Xiao­Bo Wang1 and Zheng­Jun Cui1. 1Department of Burn and Repair Reconstruction Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; 2The School of Basic Medical Science of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China. The authors regret that these errors with the author affiliations were not noticed prior to the publication of their paper, and apologize for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Molecular Medicine Reports 22: 3405-3417, 2020; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11413].

Effects of simvastatin on iNOS and caspase­3 levels and oxidative stress following smoke inhalation injury.

The overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induces cell apoptosis through various signal transduction pathways and aggravates lung injury. Caspase­3 is an important protein in the apoptotic pathway and its activation can exacerbate apoptosis. Simvastatin, a hydroxymethyl glutaryl­A reductase inhibitor, protects against smoke inhalation injury by inhibiting the synthesis and release of inflammatory factors and decreasing cell apoptosis. Following the establishment of an animal model of smoke inhalation injury, lung tissue and serum were collected at different time points and the protein and mRNA expression of iNOS and caspase­3 in lung tissue by immunochemistry, western blot and reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in lung tissue and serum were analyzed using thiobarbituric acid method and the WST­1 method. The results were statistically analyzed. The lung tissues of the rats in the saline group and the low­, middle­ and high­dose groups exhibited clear edema and hemorrhage, and had significantly higher pathological scores at the various time points compared with the rats in the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, lung tissue and serum samples obtained from these four groups had significantly higher mRNA and protein expression levels of iNOS and caspase­3 (P<0.05), significantly lower SOD activity and higher MDA content (P<0.05). Compared with the saline group, the low­, middle­ and high­dose groups had significantly lower pathological scores (P<0.05), significantly lower mRNA and protein expression levels of iNOS, caspase­3 and MDA content in lung tissues (P<0.05) and significantly higher SOD activity in lung tissues and serum. The middle­ and high­dose groups had significantly lower pathological scores (P<0.05), significantly decreased iNOS and caspase­3 mRNA and protein expression in lung tissues, significantly higher SOD activity in lung tissues and serum and a significantly lower MDA content (P<0.05) compared with the low­dose group. With the exception of SOD activity in lung tissues at 24 and 72 h and MDA content in serum at 48 h, no significant differences were observed between the middle­ and high­dose groups. The present study demonstrated that there was an association between the therapeutic effect and dosage of simvastatin within a definitive range. In rats with smoke inhalation injury, simvastatin inhibited iNOS and caspase­3 expression in lung tissues and mitigated oxidative stress, thereby exerting a protective effect. In addition, the effect and dose were associated within a definitive range.

Boron-titanate monolayer nanosheets for highly selective adsorption of immunoglobulin G.

Boron-titanate monolayer nanosheets were prepared through a scalable step by step intercalation approach for anchoring 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane (MPTS) on the surface. MPTS provides clickable sites with 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) via a thiol-ene (TE) click reaction to obtain monolayer titanate nanosheets with boronic acid ligands immobilized on the surface. The nanosheets obtained are denoted as VPBA-MPTS-TiNSs, with a lateral dimension of a few dozen nanometers and with a thickness of ca. 3.5 nm. The nanosheets exhibit a superior adsorption capacity of 1669.7 mg g-1 and favorable selectivity for the adsorption of glycoproteins by employing immunoglobulin G (IgG) as the protein model. The adsorbed IgG is thereafter readily collected by using 0.1% (m/v) cetane trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as the eluent. The practical applications of VPBA-MPTS-TiNSs are further demonstrated by the selective adsorption/purification of IgG from human serum.

DMSA-Functionalized Mesoporous Alumina with a High Capacity for Selective Isolation of Immunoglobulin G.

A novel dimercaptosuccinic acid-functionalized mesoporous alumina (DMSA-MA) is synthesized by the dicarboxylic acid groups of dimercaptosuccinic acid molecules coordinating to the Al3+ ions located in the mesostructure. The as-prepared DMSA-MA composites possess a large surface area of 91.17 m2/g as well as a uniform pore size and a high pore volume of 17.22 nm and 0.23 cm3/g, respectively. DMSA coating of mesostructures significantly enhanced their selectivity for glycoprotein adsorption through a powerful hydrophilic binding force, and the maximum adsorption capacity of immunoglobulin G (IgG) can reach 2298.6 mg g-1. The captured IgG could be lightly stripped from the DMSA-MA composites with an elution rate of 98.3% by using 0.5 wt % CTAB solution as the elution reagent. DMSA-MA is further employed as a sorbent for the enrichment of IgG heavy chain and light chain from human serum sample. SDS-PAGE assay results showed the obtained IgG with high purity compared to that of the standard solution of IgG.

Two-dimensional titanate-based zwitterionic hydrophilic sorbent for the selective adsorption of glycoproteins.

The selective adsorption towards glycoproteins from complex biosamples is of vital importance in life science studies. A new zwitterionic hydrophilic material, i.e., a functionalized titanate nanosheet, is prepared by assembling well-dispersed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the surface of ultrathin titanate nanosheets via an ion-exchange approach, followed through immobilizing l-cysteine (L-Cys) by Au-S bonding. This 2D-titanate-based zwitterionic hydrophilic material is shortly termed as L-Cys/Au/TiNSs and it exhibits transverse several hundred nanometers with an ultrathin nanosheet structure. The zwitterionic hydrophilic titanate nanosheets have strong adsorption affinity to glycoproteins, offering a large binding capacity towards immunoglobulin G (1098.9 mg g-1), which could be readily stripped into an ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) solution (0.5%, m/v) with a recovery of 82.4%. The practical applications of L-Cys/Au/TiNSs are further proved by successful specific adsorption of IgG from human serum.

A Convenient Reagent for Aldehyde to Alkyne Homologation.

An convenient reagent for the one-carbon homologation of an aldehyde to the corresponding alkyne is reported. This reagent allows this conversion to conveniently be carried out on a large scale under ambient conditions.