[Effects of Silicon Application on Arsenic Sequestration in Iron Plaque and Arsenic Translocation in Rice].

The As sequestration by iron plaque and the As translocation in rice significantly affect the As accumulation in brown rice, and silicon (Si) application inhibits the As accumulation in rice plants. However, little information is available concerning the effect of Si application on As sequestration by iron plaque and translocation in rice. In this study, a pot experiment using As-contaminated paddy soil with different Si supply levels was conducted to investigate the effects of Si application on the As sequestration by iron plaque on the root surface and the As translocation from different tissues to brown rice. The results showed that the Si2 (0.66 g·kg-1) treatment significantly increased the activities of CAT (1.81 times), SOD (7.98 times), and POD (1.25 times) in the roots, increased the DCB-extractable Fe concentration (44.35%), and promoted the roughness of iron plaque (108.91%), resulting in a significant increase in the DCB-extractable As concentration of iron plaque (88.32%). Moreover, the Si2 treatment significantly promoted the As accumulation in the roots and inhibited the As translocation from the roots and leaves to the brown rice, leading to a significant decrease in the brown rice As concentration (53.12%). The increase in As sequestration by iron plaque with Si application was attributed to the enhancement of iron plaque formation and the promotion of surface roughness of iron plaque, whereas the inhibition of As translocation from the roots and leaves to the brown rice in the Si application treatment was closely related to the competition between Si with As for transporters and the promotion of As-thiol complex formation and As compartmentalization in vacuolar. These findings provide more insight into the mechanisms of As translocation in rice and will be helpful for exploring strategies to reduce rice grain As through Si supply in As-contaminated paddy fields in South China.

Three Ways to Improve Arm Function in the Chronic Phase After Stroke by Robotic Priming Combined With Mirror Therapy, Arm Training, and Movement-Oriented Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of bilateral robotic priming combined with mirror therapy (R-mirr) vs bilateral robotic priming combined with bilateral arm training (R-bilat), relative to the control approach of bilateral robotic priming combined with movement-oriented training (R-mov) in patients with stroke. DESIGN: A single-blind, preliminary, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Four outpatient rehabilitation settings. PARTICIPANTS: Outpatients with stroke and mild to moderate motor impairment (N=63). INTERVENTIONS: Patients received 6 weeks of clinic-based R-mirr, R-bilat, or R-mov for 90 min/d, 3 d/wk, plus a transfer package at home for 5 d/wk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity subscale (FMA-UE), ABILHAND, and Stroke Impact Scale v3.0 scores before, immediately after, and 3 months after treatment as well as lateral pinch strength and accelerometry before and immediately after treatment. RESULTS: The posttest results favored R-mirr over R-bilat and R-mov on the FMA-UE score (P<.05). Follow-up analysis revealed that significant improvement in FMA-UE score was retained at the 3-month follow-up in the R-mirr over R-bilat or R-mov (P<.05). Significant improvements were not observed in the R-mirr over R-bilat and R-mov on other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Between-group differences were only detected for the primary outcome, FMA-UE. R-mirr was more effective at enhancing upper limb motor improvement, and the effect has the potential to be maintained at 3 months of follow-up.

Effects of proximal priority and distal priority robotic priming techniques with impairment-oriented training of upper limb functions in patients with chronic stroke: study protocol for a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The sequence of establishing a proximal stability or function before facilitation of the distal body part has long been recognized in stroke rehabilitation practice but lacks scientific evidence. This study plans to examine the effects of proximal priority robotic priming and impairment-oriented training (PRI) and distal priority robotic priming and impairment-oriented training (DRI). METHODS: This single-blind, randomized, comparative efficacy study will involve 40 participants with chronic stroke. Participants will be randomized into the PRI or DRI groups and receive 18 intervention sessions (90 min/day, 3 days/weeks for 6 weeks). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity subscale, Medical Research Council Scale, Revised Nottingham Sensory Assessment, and Wolf Motor Function Test will be administered at baseline, after treatment, and at the 3-month follow-up. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and the chi-square automatic interaction detector method will be used to examine the comparative efficacy and predictors of outcome, respectively, after PRI and DRI. DISCUSSION: Through manipulating the sequence of applying wrist and forearm robots in therapy, this study will attempt to examine empirically the priming effect of proximal or distal priority robotic therapy in upper extremity impairment-oriented training for people with stroke. The findings will provide directions for further studies and empirical implications for clinical practice in upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04446273. Registered on June 23, 2020.

[Effects of Ferrous Sulfate and Ferric Nitrate on Cadmium Transportation in the Rhizosphere Soil-Rice System].

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in the agricultural soils of China is a serious and growing environmental problem that urgently needs to be controlled and completely remediated. The biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), and iron (Fe), and the coupled cycles of Fe-N and Fe-S have been reported to control Cd transportation in the soil-rice system. Exploring practical remediation strategies for Cd from the perspective of the application of nutrients such as N, S, and Fe for rice growth is expected to obtain farm-specific and state-of-the-art technologies and products to reduce the accumulation of Cd in rice grains. Using our earlier study as a basis, the rhizosphere bag-pot experiment with ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) and ferric nitrate[Fe(NO3)3] treatments was conducted to investigate Cd bioavailability in rhizosphere soil and Cd translocation in rice plants, and to highlight some possible factors and mechanisms controlling Cd accumulation in rice grains. The results showed that both FeSO4 and Fe(NO3)3 treatments reduced the bioavailable Cd (NH4Ac-Cd) content in rhizosphere soil, with the decreasing extent being significantly lower in the former (55.6%) than in the latter (76.0%). Both FeSO4 and Fe(NO3)3 treatments changed the distribution characteristics of Cd in rice tissues, and the FeSO4 treatment increased the Cd content in brown rice (0.6 mg·kg-1), but the Fe(NO3)3 treatment decreased the Cd content in brown rice (0.1 mg·kg-1). Adsorption or co-precipitation of Cd by iron plaque, increased accumulations of Cd in root, stem, and leaf, and enhanced translocations of Cd from root, stem, and nodule to brown rice occurred with the increased Cd content in brown rice of the FeSO4 treatment. However, the decreased Cd content in brown rice with the Fe(NO3)3 treatment was ascribed to adsorption or co-precipitation of Cd by poorly crystalline Fe oxides and solid Fe sulfides, decreased accumulations of Cd in stem and nodule, and weakened translocations of Cd from root, leaf, and nodule to brown rice. These findings provide a scientific basis for the exploration and application of nutritive soil amendment, and will have significance in regards to the remediation of Cd-contaminated agricultural soils in China.

[Effects of an Amendment on Cadmium Transportation in the Rhizosphere Soil-Rice System].

The remediation of cadmium (Cd) contaminated paddy soils has become an important issue in the field of remediation of agricultural soils contaminated by heavy metals. The iron (Fe) redox cycle (referring to the fluctuation of iron between the ferrous (Ⅱ) and ferric (Ⅲ) oxidation states) exhibits a unique role in the transportation of Cd in the soil-rice system. The exploration of practical remediation strategies for Cd from the perspective of the Fe redox cycle is expected to obtain some state-of-the-art technologies and products to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains. In this study, an amendment was selected and a field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of this amendment on Cd transportation from the rhizosphere soil to the Fe plaque, and further to different rice tissues at four different growth stages, and to highlight some possible mechanisms by which the Fe redox cycle controls Cd availability in rice paddy fields. The results showed that the amendment induced the formation of Fe sulfides, which co-precipitated with Cd, reducing the NH4Ac-extractable Cd content in rhizosphere soils at the tillering, jointing, and filling stages; the oxidation of Fe sulfides increased the NH4Ac-extractable Cd content in the rhizosphere soil at the maturing stage; the formation of Fe sulfides in rhizosphere soils impeded the migration of Fe(Ⅱ) from the rhizosphere soil to the root surface, decreasing the content of DCB-extractable Fe and Cd in Fe plaques at the tillering and filling stages; the amendment inhibited Cd transportation from the roots to other tissues, increasing the proportion of Cd in the roots at the jointing, filling, and maturing stages, but decreasing the proportion in the straws at the jointing, filling, and maturing stages, and in the rice grain at the maturing stage. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the exploration and application of the amendment, and have significance in the field of remediation of Cd-contaminated paddy soils.

Treating Colon Cancer Cells with FK228 Reveals a Link between Histone Lysine Acetylation and Extensive Changes in the Cellular Proteome.

The therapeutic value of FK228 as a cancer treatment option is well known, and various types of cancer have been shown to respond to this drug. However, the complete mechanism of FK228 and the affect it has on histone lysine acetylation and the colon cancer cell proteome are largely unknown. In the present study, we used stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and affinity enrichment followed by high-resolution liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS)/MS analysis to quantitate the changes in the lysine acetylome in HCT-8 cells after FK228 treatment. A total of 1,194 lysine acetylation sites in 751 proteins were quantified, with 115 of the sites in 85 proteins being significantly upregulated and 38 of the sites in 32 proteins being significantly downregulated in response to FK228 treatment. Interestingly, 47 histone lysine acetylation sites were identified in the core histone proteins. We also found a novel lysine acetylation site on H2BK121. These significantly altered proteins are involved in multiple biological functions as well as a myriad of metabolic and enzyme-regulated pathways. Taken together, the link between FK228 function and the downstream changes in the HCT-8 cell proteome observed in response to FK228 treatment is established.

Expression profile analysis of long non-coding RNA associated with vincristine resistance in colon cancer cells by next-generation sequencing.

Vincristine (VCR) is widely used in tumor treatment. However, long-term use of this drug can make tumor cells resistant to it. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying resistance development are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with colon cancer drug resistance using next-generation sequencing. A cDNA library of HCT-8 VCR-resistant colon cancer cell was established through PCR amplification. Using HiSeq 2500 sequencing and bioinformatic methods, we identified lncRNAs showing different expression levels in drug-resistant and non-resistant cells, and constructed expression profiles of the lncRNA differences. The pretreatment of data was quality controlled using FastQC software. Transcription of lncRNA was calculated using Fragments Per Kilobase of transcript per Million fragments mapped (FPKM). To reveal the potential functions of these lncRNAs, we applied GO analysis to study the differentially expressed lncRNAs. Total transcript number was higher in resistant cells than in non-resistant colon cancer cells, and high-quality transcripts constituted the major portion of the total. In addition, 121 transcripts showed significantly different expression in VCR-resistant and non-resistant cells. Of these, we observed 23 up-regulated and 20 down-regulated lncRNAs (fold change >10.0). This is the first report of the expression profile of lncRNA of VCR-resistant colon cancer cells. Abnormal lncRNA expression was associated with VCR resistance in colon cancer cells and these expression differences may play a key role in VCR resistance of these cells.