Selenium enhancement strategy under precise fertilization in foxtail millet rhizosphere.

Enhancing selenium content in millet is a crucial strategy to address malnutrition due to selenium deficiency. Jingu 21 was used as the experimental material in this study. The effects of selenium fertilizer application amount, vertical position of fertilization, and horizontal position of fertilization on the selenium content in various millet organs were assessed using a three-factor, five-level quadratic rotation combination design. The results indicate that selenium fertilizer application amount, vertical fertilization position, and horizontal fertilization position significantly affected the selenium content in various millet organs. Analysis of the selenium accumulation for different millet organs show that the recommended optimal agronomic strategy for producing selenium-enriched millet comprises a selenium fertilizer application amount ranging from 100.65 to 120.15 kg/hm2, a vertical fertilization position of 10.28-11.76 cm, and a horizontal fertilization position of 6.74-7.29 cm. This study elucidates the patterns of selenium content accumulation under precise fertilization measures of millet and provides valuable insights for implementing selenium enhancement techniques in the production of selenium-enriched millet.

Comprehensive evaluation of factors influencing selenium fertilization biofortification.

BACKGROUND: Dietary selenium (Se) deficiency, stemming from low Se concentrations in agricultural products, threatens human health. While Se-containing fertilizers can enhance the Se content in crops, the key factors governing Se biofortification with Se fertilization remain unclear. RESULTS: This study constructed a global meta-analysis dataset based on field experiments comprising 364 entries on Se content in agricultural products and 271 entries on their yield. Random forest models and mixed effects meta-analyses revealed that plant types (i.e., cereals, vegetables, legumes, and forages) primarily influenced Se biofortification, with Se fertilization rates being the next significant factor. The random forest model, which included variables like plant types, Se fertilization rates, methods and types of Se application, initial soil conditions (including Se content, organic carbon content, and pH), soil types, mean annual precipitation, and temperature, explained 82.14% of the variation in Se content and 48.42% of the yield variation in agricultural products. For the same agricultural products, the increase in Se content decreased with higher rates of Se fertilization. The increase in Se content in their edible parts will be negligible for cereals, forages, legumes, and vegetable crops, when Se fertilization rates were 164, 103, 144, and 147 g Se ha-1, respectively. Conversely, while low Se fertilization rates enhanced yields, high rates led to a yield reduction, particularly in cereals. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the need for balanced and precise Se fertilization strategies to optimize Se biofortification benefits and minimize the risk of yield reduction. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Selenium loss during boiling processes and its bioaccessibility in different crops: Estimated daily intake.

Food crops provide a good selenium (Se) source for Se-deficient populations. This study assessed how boiling affects Se concentration, speciation, and bioaccessibility in common food crops to determine human Se intake. Boiling rice resulted in an 11.9% decrease in minimum Se content, while sorghum experienced a maximum (34.9%) reduction. Boiled vegetables showed a 21% - 40% Se loss. Cereals showed notable decreases in selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenocysteine (SeCys2), while most vegetables exhibited a significant reduction in Se-methylselenocysteine (SeMeCys). Boiling significantly reduced the Se bioaccessibility in all food crops, except cabbage and potato. Cereal crops were more efficacious in meeting the recommended daily intake (RDI) of Se compared to vegetables. Rice exceeds other crops and provides up to 39.2% of the WHO/FAO-recommended target minimum daily intake of 60 µg/day. This study provides insight into a substantial dissonance between the estimated daily intake (EDI) of Se and the bioaccessible Se in both raw and boiled crops. Consequently, revising EDI standards is imperative.

Case Report: Pediatric Malignant Atrophic Papulosis With Small Bowel Perforation and Positivity of Anticardiolipin Antibody.

Malignant atrophic papulosis (MAP) is a life-threatening vasculopathy affecting the skin, gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, pleural membrane, and pericardium. MAP carries a poor prognosis primarily because of its systemic involvement. It is extremely rare in children. Herein, we report a pediatric case of MAP with small bowel perforation and anticardiolipin antibody positivity.

Domestication and geographic origin of Oryza sativa in China: insights from multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation of O. sativa and O. rufipogon.

Previous studies have indicated that China is one of the domestication centres of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa), and common wild rice (O. rufipogon) is the progenitor of O. sativa. However, the number of domestication times and the geographic origin of Asian cultivated rice in China are still under debate. In this study, 100 accessions of Asian cultivated rice and 111 accessions of common wild rice in China were selected to examine the relationship between O. sativa and O. rufipogon and thereby infer the domestication and evolution of O. sativa in China through sequence analyses of six gene regions, trnC-ycf6 in chloroplast genomes, cox3 in mitochondrial genomes and ITS, Ehd1, Waxy, Hd1 in nuclear genomes. The results indicated that the two subspecies of O. sativa (indica and japonica) were domesticated independently from different populations of O. rufipogon with gene flow occurring later from japonica to indica; Southern China was the genetic diversity centre of O. rufipogon, and the Pearl River basin near the Tropic of Cancer was the domestication centre of O. sativa in China.

Serum HBV DNA level at week 24 as a proper predictor for the effect of 2-year lamivudine treatment.

BACKGROUND: Lamivudine is the first L-nucleoside analogue approved for the treatment of the patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) for over 10 years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the virologic responses at weeks 12 and 24 for the prediction of therapeutic effect and virologic breakthrough after 2 years of lamivudine treatment in the patients with CHB. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 255 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive and 122 HBeAg-negative CHB patients treated with lamivudine (100 mg, daily) and duration of treatment was 6 to 72 months. The levels of serum hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA at weeks 12 and 24 were evaluated for the predictive value of therapeutic effect and drug resistance after 2 years of lamivudine treatment. RESULTS: HBeAg seroconversion was closely correlated with levels of serum HBV DNA at week 12 (P = 0.000, OR = 0.394) and 24 (P = 0.019, OR = 0.442), while virologic breakthrough was more correlated with baseline levels of serum HBV DNA (P = 0.019, OR = 1.484) and at week 12 (P = 0.049, OR = 1.398) and 24 (P = 0.012, OR = 2.025). At year 2, the virologic response at week 24 was more sensitive compared with week 12 when it was used to predict the efficacy and virologic breakthrough, but was less specific compared with those at week 12. There were no significant differences in terms of predicting positive and negative values of HBV DNA between week 12 and 24 for efficacy and drug resistance at year 2 in both HBeAg positive and HBeAg negative patients. CONCLUSION: Level of serum HBV DNA at 24-week is a proper predictor for the therapeutic effect and virologic breakthrough at year 2 of lamivudine treatment.