Comparative study of the quality indices, antioxidant substances, and mineral elements in different forms of cabbage.

BACKGROUND: As the second largest leafy vegetable, cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata) is grown globally, and the characteristics of the different varieties, forms, and colors of cabbage may differ. In this study, five analysis methods-variance analysis, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and comprehensive ranking-were used to evaluate the quality indices (soluble protein, soluble sugar, and nitrate), antioxidant content (vitamin C, polyphenols, and flavonoids), and mineral (K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) content of 159 varieties of four forms (green spherical, green oblate, purple spherical, and green cow heart) of cabbage. RESULTS: The results showed that there are significant differences among different forms and varieties of cabbage. Compared to the other three forms, the purple spherical cabbage had the highest flavonoid, K, Mg, Cu, Mn, and Zn content. A scatter plot of the principal component analysis showed that the purple spherical and green cow heart cabbage varieties were distributed to the same quadrant, indicating that their quality indices and mineral contents were highly consistent, while those of the green spherical and oblate varieties were irregularly distributed. Overall, the green spherical cabbage ranked first, followed by the green cow heart, green oblate, and purple spherical varieties. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a theoretical basis for the cultivation and high-quality breeding of cabbage.

Silencing the CsSnRK2.11 Gene Decreases Drought Tolerance of Cucumis sativus L.

Drought stress restricts vegetable growth, and abscisic acid plays an important role in its regulation. Sucrose non-fermenting1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) is a key enzyme in regulating ABA signal transduction in plants, and it plays a significant role in response to multiple abiotic stresses. Our previous experiments demonstrated that the SnRK2.11 gene exhibits a significant response to drought stress in cucumbers. To further investigate the function of SnRK2.11 under drought stress, we used VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing) technology to silence this gene and conducted RNA-seq analysis. The SnRK2.11-silencing plants displayed increased sensitivity to drought stress, which led to stunted growth and increased wilting speed. Moreover, various physiological parameters related to photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf water content, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activity were significantly reduced. The intercellular CO2 concentration, non-photochemical burst coefficient, and malondialdehyde and proline content were significantly increased. RNA-seq analysis identified 534 differentially expressed genes (DEGs): 311 were upregulated and 223 were downregulated. GO functional annotation analysis indicated that these DEGs were significantly enriched for molecular functions related to host cells, enzyme activity, and stress responses. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis further revealed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in phytohormone signalling, MAPK signalling, and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways, all of which were associated with abscisic acid. This study used VIGS technology and transcriptome data to investigate the role of CsSnRK2.11 under drought stress, offering valuable insights into the mechanism of the SnRK2 gene in enhancing drought resistance in cucumbers.

Resting-state functional MRI investigation of the effect of long-term alcohol exposure on the brain function in rhesus monkey.

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to investigate the effect of long-term exposure of alcohol on the resting-state brain functions in rhesus monkey by using the 3.0 T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The animal models were developed by exposing six male rhesus monkeys to alcohol for different time points: P0 (non-exposed), P1 (1 month), P2 (3 months), P3 (6 months), and P4 (36 months). A multi-period rsfMRI scan was performed before and after exposure of animals to alcohol. The collected data were analyzed by the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method, and the different brain regions were compared for their respective functions through differences in the fALFF and ReHo values. RESULTS: The results showed statistical significances in different brain regions. The left superior parietal lobule and the left fusiform gyrus showed statistically different fALFF values (p < 0.01). Similarly, the left medial orbital gyrus and the right postcentral gyrus showed statistically different ReHo values (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The long-term exposure of rhesus monkeys to alcohol mainly induced changes in four parts of the brain, including the left superior parietal lobule, left fusiform gyrus, left medial orbital gyrus, and the right postcentral gyrus. These changes in different brain parts, over the study period, with most significant changes found within 6 months of exposure of rhesus monkeys to alcohol.

Foliar Spraying of NaHS Alleviates Cucumber Salt Stress by Maintaining N+/K+ Balance and Activating Salt Tolerance Signaling Pathways.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is involved in the regulation of plant salt stress as a potential signaling molecule. This work investigated the effect of H2S on cucumber growth, photosynthesis, antioxidation, ion balance, and other salt tolerance pathways. The plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and photosynthesis of cucumber seedlings were significantly inhibited by 50 mmol·L-1 NaCl. Moreover, NaCl treatment induced superoxide anion (O2·-) and Na+ accumulation and affected the absorption of other mineral ions. On the contrary, exogenous spraying of 200 µmol·L-1 sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) maintained the growth of cucumber seedlings, increased photosynthesis, enhanced the ascorbate-glutathione cycle (AsA-GSH), and promoted the absorption of mineral ions under salt stress. Meanwhile, NaHS upregulated SOS1, SOS2, SOS3, NHX1, and AKT1 genes to maintain Na+/K+ balance and increased the relative expression of MAPK3, MAPK4, MAPK6, and MAPK9 genes to enhance salt tolerance. These positive effects of H2S could be reversed by 150 mmol·L-1 propargylglycine (PAG, a specific inhibitor of H2S biosynthesis). These results indicated that H2S could mitigate salt damage in cucumber, mainly by improving photosynthesis, enhancing the AsA-GSH cycle, reducing the Na+/K+ ratio, and inducing the SOS pathway and MAPK pathway.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of BZR gene family and associated responses to abiotic stresses in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

BACKGROUND: BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT (BZR) is a class of specific transcription factor (TFs) involved in brassinosteroid (BR) signal transduction. The regulatory mechanism of target genes mediated by BZR has become one of the key research areas in plant BR signaling networks. However, the functions of the BZR gene family in cucumber have not been well characterized. RESULTS: In this study, six CsBZR gene family members were identified by analyzing the conserved domain of BES1 N in the cucumber genome. The size of CsBZR proteins ranges from 311 to 698 amino acids and are mostly located in the nucleus. Phylogenetic analysis divided CsBZR genes into three subgroups. The gene structure and conserved domain showed that the BZR genes domain in the same group was conserved. Cis-acting element analysis showed that cucumber BZR genes were mainly involved in hormone response, stress response and growth regulation. The qRT-PCR results also confirmed CsBZR response to hormones and abiotic stress. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the CsBZR gene is involved in regulating cucumber growth and development, particularly in hormone response and response to abiotic stress. These findings provide valuable information for understanding the structure and expression patterns of BZR genes.

Physical, chemical, and biological control of black rot of brassicaceae vegetables: A review.

As one of the important sources of human nutrition, Brassicaceae vegetables are widely grown worldwide. Black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) seriously affects the quality and yield of Brassicaceae vegetables. Therefore, it is important to study control methods of Xcc for Brassicaceae vegetable production. This paper reviews the physical, chemical, and biological control methods of Xcc in Brassicaceae vegetables developed in recent years, and the underlying mechanisms of control methods are also discussed. Based on our current knowledge, future research directions for Xcc control are also proposed. This review also provides a reference basis for the control of Xcc in the field cultivation of Brassicaceae vegetables.

Changes in the Microbial Structure of the Root Soil and the Yield of Chinese Baby Cabbage by Chemical Fertilizer Reduction with Bio-Organic Fertilizer Application.

Using high-throughput sequencing, this study aimed to explore the response of soil microbial community and Chinese baby cabbage yield to the reduction of chemical fertilizers combined with bio-organic fertilizer. Our experiments consisted of conventional fertilizer (CK), 30% chemical fertilizer reduction + 6,000 kg/ha bio-organic fertilizer (T1), 30% chemical fertilizer reduction + 9,000 kg/ha bio-organic fertilizer (T2), 40% chemical fertilizer reduction + 6,000 kg/ha bio-organic fertilizer (T3), and 40% chemical fertilizer reduction + 9,000 kg/ha bio-organic fertilizer (T4). Compared with CK, soil microbial diversity and richness were higher for all treatments with added bio-organic fertilizer. Principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the bacterial and fungal communities in T2 and T4 were similar to each other. Redundancy and Spearman's correlation analyses of microbial communities and soil physicochemical properties revealed that reductions in chemical fertilizer rate combined with bio-organic fertilizer had a stronger impact on the fungal than the bacterial community. They also increased the relative abundance of the dominant bacterial and fungal phyla. Chinese baby cabbage yield was relatively higher under the combined bio-organic fertilizer plus reduced chemical fertilizer rate with T2 showing the highest yield. Therefore, this approach is feasible for sustainable agricultural, cost-effective and profitable crop production. IMPORTANCE Chemical fertilizers are commonly used for agriculture, though bio-organic fertilizers may be more efficient. We found that a mixture of bio-organic and moderately reduced chemical fertilizer was more effective than chemical fertilizer alone, as it raised the Chinese baby cabbage yield. Further, the presence of bio-organic fertilizer enhanced overall soil physicochemistry, as well as improved the beneficial bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity. Thus, we found that fertilizer combination sustainably & cost-effectively improves crop & soil quality.

Enhancement of cucumber resistance under salt stress by 2, 4-epibrassinolide lactones.

This study investigated the effects of exogenous 2, 4-epibrassinolide lactone (EBR) on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant defense system, ion homeostasis, MAPK cascade and key genes of SOS signaling pathway of cucumber seedlings under salt stress using cucumber "Xinchun 4" as the test material. The experiment was set up with four treatments: foliar spraying of distilled water (CK), 50 mmol.L-1 NaCl (NaCl), 50 mmol.L-1 NaCl+foliar spray of 0.02 µmol.L-1 EBR (EBR+NaCl), and 50 mmol.L-1 NaCl+foliar spray of 24 µmol.L-1 Brassinazole (BRZ) (BRZ+NaCl). The results showed that EBR+NaCl treatment significantly increased plant height, above-ground fresh weight, total root length, total root surface area, average rhizome and photosynthetic pigment content compared to NaCl treatment. Meanwhile, compared with NaCl treatment, EBR+NaCl treatment significantly increased superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase (SOD, CAT and APX) activities, significantly promoted the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances (soluble sugars and proline), and thus effectively reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electrical conductivity of cucumber leaves. Exogenous spraying of EBR also significantly reduced Na+/K+ under NaCl stress, effectively alleviating the toxic effects of Na+ ions. In addition, exogenous EBR induced the up-regulated expression of CsMAPK3, CsMAPK4, CsMAPK6 and CsMAPK9 genes in the MAPK cascade signaling pathway and CsSOS1, CsSOS2 and CsSOS3 genes in the SOS signaling pathway to enhance salt tolerance in cucumber under NaCl stress. Therefore, exogenous spraying EBR may effectively reduce the damage of salt stress on cucumber seedlings by improving antioxidant capacity, maintaining ion homeostasis and activating salt-tolerant related signaling pathways, which might promote the growth of cucumber seedlings and the establishment of root system morphology. This study provides a reference for EBR to improve the salt tolerance of cucumber.

Identification and expression profile analysis of the SnRK2 gene family in cucumber.

The sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) is a plant-specific type of serine/threonine protein kinase that plays an important role in the physiological regulation of stress. The objective of this study was to identify and analyze the members of the SnRK2 gene family in cucumber and lay a foundation for further exploration of the mechanism of CsSnRK2 resistance to stress. Here, 12 SnRK2 genes were isolated from cucumber and distributed on five chromosomes, phylogenetic clustering divided these into three well-supported clades. In addition, collinearity analysis showed that the CsSnRK2 gene family underwent purifying selection pressure during evolution. CsSnRK2 genes of the same group have similar exons and conserved motifs, and intron length may be a specific imprint for the evolutionary amplification of the CsSnRK2 gene family. By predicting cis elements in the promoter, we found that the promoter region of CsSnRK2 gene members had various cis-regulatory elements in response to hormones and stress. Relative expression analysis showed that CsSnRK2.11 (group II) and CsSnRK2.12 (group III) were strongly induced by ABA, NaCl and PEG stress; whereas CsSnRK2.2 (group III) was not activated by any treatment. The response of group I CsSnRK2 to ABA, NaCl and PEG was weak. Furthermore, protein interaction prediction showed that multiple CsSnRK2 proteins interacted with four proteins including protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C), and it is speculated that the CsSnRK2 genes may also an independent role as a third messenger in the ABA signaling pathway. This study provides a reference for analyzing the potential function of CsSnRK2 genes in the future research.

The cumulative therapeutic effect of acupuncture in patients with migraine without aura: Evidence from dynamic alterations of intrinsic brain activity and effective connectivity.

We explored the dynamic alterations of intrinsic brain activity and effective connectivity after acupuncture treatment to investigate the underlying neurological mechanism of acupuncture treatment in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA). The Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans were separately obtained at baseline, after the first and 12th acupuncture sessions in 40 patients with MwoA. Compared with the healthy controls (HCs), patients with MwoA mostly showed a decreased dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) variability in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), superior lobe of left cerebellum (Cerebellum_Crus1_L), right precuneus (PCUN.R), and so on. The decreased dALFF variability of RVM, Cerebellum_Crus1_L, and PCUN.R progressively recovered after the first and 12th acupuncture treatment sessions as compared to the baseline. There was gradually increased dynamic effective connectivity (DEC) variability in RVM outflow to the right middle frontal gyrus, left insula, right precentral gyrus, and right supramarginal gyrus, and gradually enhanced DEC variability from the right fusiform gyrus inflow to RVM. Furthermore, the gradually increased DEC variability was found from Cerebellum_Crus1_L outflow to the left middle occipital gyrus and the left precentral gyrus, from PCUN.R outflow to the right thalamus. These dALFF variabilities were positively correlated with the frequency of migraine attacks and negatively correlated with disease duration at baseline. The dynamic Granger causality analysis (GCA) coefficients of this DEC variability were positively correlated with Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire scores and negatively correlated with the frequency of migraine attacks and visual analog scale (VAS) scores after 12th acupuncture sessions. Our results were analyzed by a longitudinal fMRI in the absence of a sham acupuncture control group and provided insight into the dynamic alterations of brain activity and effective connectivity in patients with MwoA after acupuncture intervention. Acupuncture might relieve MwoA by increasing the effective connectivity of RVM, Cerebellum_Crus1_L, and PCUN.R to make up for the decreased dALFF variability in these brain areas.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the cucumber PP2C gene family.

BACKGROUND: Type 2C protein phosphatase (PP2C) is a negative regulator of ABA signaling pathway, which plays important roles in stress signal transduction in plants. However, little research on the PP2C genes family of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), as an important economic vegetable, has been conducted. RESULTS: This study conducted a genome-wide investigation of the CsPP2C gene family. Through bioinformatics analysis, 56 CsPP2C genes were identified in cucumber. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the PP2C genes of cucumber and Arabidopsis were divided into 13 groups. Gene structure and conserved motif analysis showed that CsPP2C genes in the same group had similar gene structure and conserved domains. Collinearity analysis showed that segmental duplication events played a key role in the expansion of the cucumber PP2C genes family. In addition, the expression of CsPP2Cs under different abiotic treatments was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The results reveal that CsPP2C family genes showed different expression patterns under ABA, drought, salt, and cold treatment, and that CsPP2C3, 11-17, 23, 45, 54 and 55 responded significantly to the four stresses. By predicting the cis-elements in the promoter, we found that all CsPP2C members contained ABA response elements and drought response elements. Additionally, the expression patterns of CsPP2C genes were specific in different tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide a reference for the genome-wide identification of the PP2C gene family in other species and provide a basis for future studies on the function of PP2C genes in cucumber.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Effects on Water-Level Deficits on Tomato Polyphenol Composition, Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Capacity.

Tomatoes have high nutritional value and abundant bioactive compounds. Moderate water deficit irrigation alters metabolic levels of fruits, improving composition and quality. We investigated the effects of water deficit (T1, T2, T3, and T4) treatments and adequate irrigation (CK) on tomato polyphenol composition, antioxidant capacity, and nutritional quality. Compared with CK, the total flavonoid content increased by 33.66% and 44.73% in T1 and T2, and total phenols increased by 57.64%, 72.22%, and 55.78% in T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The T2 treatment significantly enhanced antioxidant' capacities (ABTS, HSRA, FRAP, and DPPH). There were multiple groups of significant or extremely significant positive correlations between polyphenol components and antioxidant activity. For polyphenols and antioxidant capacity, the classification models divided the treatments: CK and T4 and T1−T3. The contents of soluble solids, soluble protein, vitamin C, and soluble sugar of the treatment groups were higher than those of CK. The soluble sugar positively correlated with sugar−acid ratios. In the PCA-based model, T3 in the first quadrant indicated the best treatment in terms of nutritional quality. Overall, comprehensive rankings using principal component analysis (PCA) revealed T2 > T1 > T3 > T4 > CK. Therefore, the T2 treatment is a suitable for improving quality and antioxidant capacity. This study provides novel insights into improving water-use efficiency and quality in the context of water scarcity worldwide.

Physiological Mechanism of Exogenous 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Improved the Tolerance of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica pekinensis L.) to Cadmium Stress.

The 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a new type of plant growth regulator, can relieve the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) to plants. However, its mechanism has not been thoroughly studied. In the study, the roles of ALA have been investigated in the tolerance of Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis L.) seedlings to Cd stress. The results showed that Cd significantly reduced the biomass and the length of the primary root of seedlings but increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) and the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents. These can be effectively mitigated through the application of ALA. The ALA can further induce the activities of antioxidant enzymes in the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle under Cd stress, which resulted in high levels of both GSH and AsA. Under ALA + Cd treatment, the seedlings showed a higher chlorophyll content and photosynthetic performance in comparison with Cd treatment alone. Microscopic analysis results confirmed that ALA can protect the cell structure of shoots and roots, i.e., stabilizing the morphological structure of chloroplasts in leaf mesophyll cells. The qRT-PCR results further reported that ALA downregulated the expressions of Cd absorption and transport-related genes in shoots (HMA2 and HMA4) and roots (IRT1, IRT2, Nramp1, and Nramp3), which resulted in the low Cd content in the shoots and roots of cabbage seedlings. Taken together, the exogenous application of ALA alleviates Cd stress through maintaining redox homeostasis, protecting the photosynthetic system, and regulating the expression of Cd transport-related genes in Chinese cabbage seedlings.

Effects of Plant Hormones, Metal Ions, Salinity, Sugar, and Chemicals Pollution on Glucosinolate Biosynthesis in Cruciferous Plant.

Cruciferous vegetable crops are grown widely around the world, which supply a multitude of health-related micronutrients, phytochemicals, and antioxidant compounds. Glucosinolates (GSLs) are specialized metabolites found widely in cruciferous vegetables, which are not only related to flavor formation but also have anti-cancer, disease-resistance, and insect-resistance properties. The content and components of GSLs in the Cruciferae are not only related to genotypes and environmental factors but also are influenced by hormones, plant growth regulators, and mineral elements. This review discusses the effects of different exogenous substances on the GSL content and composition, and analyzes the molecular mechanism by which these substances regulate the biosynthesis of GSLs. Based on the current research status, future research directions are also proposed.

Functional connectivity changes during migraine treatment with electroacupuncture at Shuaigu (GB8).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in the functional connectivity (FC) in the right insula between migraine without aura (MWoA) and healthy controls by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), and to observe the instant alteration of FC in MWoA during electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation at Shuaigu (GB8). METHODS: A total of 30 patients with MWoA (PM group) and 30 healthy controls (HC group) underwent rs-fMRI scans. The PM group underwent a second rs-fMRI scan while receiving EA at GB8. The right insula subregions, including the ventral anterior insula (vAI), dorsal anterior insula (dAI) and posterior insula (PI), were selected as the seed points for FC analysis. RESULTS: Aberrant FC, including dAI with right postcentral gyrus, PI with left precuneus, was found among PM before EA (PMa), PM during EA (PMb) and HC. Meanwhile, decreased FC between dAI and the right postcentral gyrus was found in the PMa compared to the HC and PMb. Increased FC between the PI and left precuneus was found in the PMa compared to the HC and PMb. Correlation analysis showed that the FC value of the right postcentral gyrus in PMa was negatively correlated with the scores of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. The FC value of the left precuneus in PMa was positively correlated with the visual analogue scale score. CONCLUSION: The alteration of FC between the right insula subregions and multiple brain regions may be an important index for MWoA. EA at GB8 was able to adjust the FC between the right insula subregions and parietal lobe, namely, the right dAI and right postcentral gyrus, and the right PI and left precuneus, thereby rendering an instant effect in the management of MWoA.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the cucumber PYL gene family.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a very important hormone in plants. It regulates growth and development of plants and plays an important role in biotic and abiotic stresses. The Pyrabactin resistance 1-like (PYR/PYL) proteins play a central role in ABA signal transduction pathways. The working system of PYL genes in cucumber, an important economical vegetable (Cucumis sativus L.), has not been fully studied yet. Through bioinformatics, a total of 14 individual PYL genes were identified in Chinese long '9930' cucumber. Fourteen PYL genes were distributed on six chromosomes of cucumber, and their encoded proteins predicted to be distributed in cytoplasm and nucleus. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, the PYL genes of cucumber, Arabidopsis, rice, apple, Brachypodium distachyon and soybeancould be classified into three groups. Genetic structures and conserved domains analysis revealed that CsPYL genes in the same group have similar exons and conserved domains. By predicting cis-elements in the promoters, we found that all CsPYL members contained hormone and stress-related elements. Additionally, the expression patterns of CsPYL genes were specific in tissues. Finally, we further examined the expression of 14 CsPYL genes under ABA, PEG, salt stress. The qRT-PCR results showed that most PYL gene expression levels were up-regulated. Furthermore, with different treatments about 3h, the relative expression of PYL8 was up-regulated and more than 20 times higher than 0h. It indicated that this gene may play an important role in abiotic stress.

[Effect of acupuncture on migraine without aura: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance study].

OBJECTIVE: To observe therapeutic effect of acupuncture on migraine without aura and the changes of brain functional connectivity (FC) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: Thirty-four patients with migraine without aura were included into an observation group and treated with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Xuanlu (GB 5), Shuaigu (GB 8), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), etc. Using G6805-Ⅱ electric acupuncture apparatus, the ipsilateral Fengchi (GB 20) and Shuaigu (GB 8) were connected and stimulated with continuous wave, 2 Hz in frequency and 0.1 mA to 1.0 mA in current intensity, depending on patient's tolerance. Acupuncture stimulation lasted 20 min each time, twice weekly (at the interval>2 days). A total of 6 weeks of treatment (12 times) was required. Matching the gender and age as those of the observation group, 16 healthy subjects were recruited into a control group and no any intervention was provided. The headache days, the score of visual analogue scale (VAS) for headache severity, the total score of headache symptoms, the score of migraine-specific quality of life questionnaire (MSQ), the score of self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and the score of self-rating depression scale (SDS) were compared before and after acupuncture, and the clinical efficacy was assessed in the observation group. The data of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance were collected in the observation group before and after treatment as well as the control group at baseline. The periaqueductal gray (PAG) was taken as the seed to analyze the effect of acupuncture on the brain FC and the correlation between FC and VAS scores, headache days in the patients of migraine without aura. RESULTS: After treatment, the headache days, VAS score, the total score of headache symptoms, SAS score and SDS score were all reduced (P<0.01); and the scores of the restrictive, preventive, and emotional functional domains of the MSQ were increased (P<0.01) in the observation group compared with those before treatment. The total effective rate was 94.1% (32/34). Compared with the control group, FC between PAG and the right cerebellum Ⅷ was decreased in the observation group before treatment (P<0.05). FC of PAG with the bilateral cerebellum Ⅷ and the left precuneus was increased in the observation group after treatment compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). In the observation group, the FC intensity of PAG and the right cerebellum Ⅷ was negatively correlated with VAS score (r =-0.41, P<0.05) before treatment, while the FC intensity of PAG and the left precuneus was positively correlated with the improvement in headache days (r =0.40, P<0.05) after treatment. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture is effective on migraine without aura. The brain functional connectivity is abnormal in the patients. The effect onset of acupuncture is obtained probably by regulating the abnormal brain regions and activating brain regions relevant with pain and emotions.

Exogenous silicon enhances the systemic defense of cucumber leaves and roots against CA-induced autotoxicity stress by regulating the ascorbate-glutathione cycle and photosystem II.

Cinnamic acid (CA), one of the main autotoxins secreted by cucumber roots during continuous cropping, inhibits plant growth and reduces yield. Silicon (Si) is an environmentally friendly element that alleviates abiotic stresses in plants, but the mechanism underlying its resistance to autotoxicity remain unclear. Here, we used 0.8 mmol L-1 CA to study the effects of Si application on the growth, chlorophyll fluorescence, and ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle of cucumber seedlings under CA inducing conditions. Our results indicated that CA significantly induced photoinhibition and overaccumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inhibiting cucumber growth. Treatment with 1.0 mmol L-1 Si improved plant height, stem diameter and biomass accumulation, and protected the photosynthetic electron transport function of photosystem II in the presence of CA. Similarly, Si application maintained the ROS status by increasing ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) production, as well as the ratios of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG in both leaves and roots during CA stress. In addition, Si application in CA-treated seedlings enhanced the activity of key enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and the transcription of several enzyme genes (CsAPX, CsMDHAR and CsGR） from the AsA-GSH cycle. These results suggest that exogenous Si enhances CA tolerance in cucumber seedlings by protecting photosystem II activity, upregulating AsA-GSH pathway, and reducing ROS levels.

Transcriptome and Proteome Conjoint Analysis Revealed That Exogenous Sulfur Regulates Glucosinolate Synthesis in Cabbage.

Glucosinolates (GLS) are important anionic secondary metabolites that are rich in thiocyanin in cabbage, Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata. GLS are important in food flavor, plant antimicrobial activity, insect resistance, disease resistance, and human anti-cancer effects. Sulfur is an important raw material of GLS, directly affecting their synthesis. However, the mechanism of sulfur regulation of GLS biosynthesis in cabbage is unclear. In the present study, cabbage was treated with sulfur-free Hoagland nutrient solution (control; -S), and normal Hoagland nutrient solution (treatment; +S). Through joint transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, the effect of exogenous S on GLS synthesis was explored. S application induced GLS accumulation; especially, indole glycosides. Transcriptome analysis showed that +S treatment correlated positively with differentially expressed genes and proteins involved in amino acid biosynthesis, carbon metabolism, and plant hormone signal transduction. Compared with -S treatment, the mRNA expression of GLS synthesis genes (CYP, GSTU, UGT, and FMO) and those encoding transcription factors (RLK, MYB, AP2, bHLH, AUX/IAA, and WRKY) were upregulated significantly in the +S group. Combined transcriptome and proteome analysis suggested that the main pathway influenced by S during GLS synthesis in cabbage is amino acid biosynthesis. Moreover, S treatment activated GLS synthesis and accumulation.

Effects of different vegetable rotations on the rhizosphere bacterial community and tomato growth in a continuous tomato cropping substrate.

In this study, High throughput sequencing was used to analyze the effects of different vegetable rotations on the rhizosphere bacterial diversity and community structure in a substrate that was used for continuous tomato cropping (CK). The vegetable rotations tested were cabbage/tomato (B), kidney bean/tomato (D), and celery/tomato (Q). The results revealed that the substrate bacterial diversity and richness of each crop rotation were higher than those of CK. The highest bacterial diversity was found in the B substrate, followed by the Q and D substrates. Further comparison showed that the rhizosphere bacterial community structure of Q substrate was significantly different to that of CK. Compared with the CK, the Q substrate had a significantly higher relative abundance of several dominant microflora, such as Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes. Additionally, the Q rotation significantly increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Actinobacteria_unclassified and Anaerolineaceae_unclassified. A redundancy analysis showed that Most dominant bacteria correlated positively with the substrate pH, total N, and alkali-hydrolyzable N but negatively with the available P, available K, total P, total K, and organic matter contents and substrate EC. The substrates after crop rotation improved the growth and physiological condition of the subsequent tomato plants, among which those from the Q rotation performed the best. Therefore, celery rotation not only increased the richness and diversity of bacterial communities in the substrate but also significantly increased the richness of the beneficial bacterial communities, allowing better maintenance of the substrate microenvironment for the healthy growth of crops.