Ore improver additions alter livestock manure compost ecosystem C:N:P stoichiometry.

Deciphering the pivotal components of nutrient metabolism in compost is of paramount importance. To this end, ecoenzymatic stoichiometry, enzyme vector modeling, and statistical analysis were employed to explore the impact of exogenous ore improver on nutrient changes throughout the livestock composting process. The total phosphorus increased from 12.86 to 18.72 g kg-1, accompanied by a marked neutralized pH with ore improver, resulting in the Carbon-, nitrogen-, and phosphorus-related enzyme activities decreases. However, the potential C:P and N:P acquisition activities represented by ln(ßG + CB): ln(ALP) and ln(NAG): ln(ALP), were increased with ore improver addition. Based on the ecoenzymatic stoiometry theory, these changes reflect a decreasing trend in the relative P/N limitation, with pH and total phosphorus as the decisive factors. Our study showed that the practical employment of eco stoichiometry could benefit the manure composting process. Moreover, we should also consider the ecological effects from pH for the waste material utilization in sustainable agriculture.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and In vivo Experimental Validation to Reveal the Mechanism of FuZheng YiLiu Formula on Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: FuZheng YiLiu Formula (FZYL) is a commonly used formula for postoperative estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer and post-radiotherapy deficiency of both Qi and Yin. FZYL has been used in clinical practice for decades because of its ability to effectively improve the symptoms of deficiency in cancer patients. However, its mechanism needs to be further clarified. In this paper, we will observe the effect of FZYL on mice with ER+ breast cancer and explore the mechanism by which it improves the symptoms of ER+ breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A tumor xenograft mouse model was established to detect tumor growth in vivo in order to evaluate the pharmacological effects of FZYL on ER+ breast cancer. The main targets of FZYL were identified by extracting the FZYL components and the corresponding potential target genes of breast cancer from the established database and constructing a protein-protein interaction network of shared genes using the string database. GO functional annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed, and molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, western blotting analysis, and RT-qPCR were performed to confirm the validity of targets in the relevant pathways. RESULTS: FZYL was able to significantly reduce the size of tumors in vivo and had a significant therapeutic effect on tumor xenograft mice. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses indicated that the effects of FZYL may be mediated by oxidative stress levels, apoptotic signaling pathways, and cell cycle proliferation. By RT-qPCR and protein blotting assays, FZYL targeted the key targets of TP53, JUN, ESR1, RELA, MYC, and MAPK1 to exert its effects. The key active components of FZYL are quercetin, luteolin, stigmasterol, and glycitein. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation results further demonstrated that the key active components of FZYL are stably bound to the core targets. CONCLUSION: In this study, the potential active ingredients, potential core targets, key biological pathways, and signaling pathways involved in the treatment of breast cancer with FZYL were identified, providing a theoretical basis for further anti ER+ breast cancer research.

Assessing the efficacy and safety of Craniosacral therapy for migraine: A single center randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Design a feasible study to assess the efficacy and safety of Craniosacral therapy (CST) in the treatment of migraine, using a rigorous and innovative randomized controlled study design involving complementary light-touch sham treatments (CLST) as an attention control intervention. METHODS: This was a single-center, randomized, cross-over placebo-controlled experimental design. A total of 87 participants who suffered migraine attacks from 4 to 9 per month were randomly assigned into either 2 weekly units of CST or CLST for 4 weeks. And then the 2 groups were crossed and continued treatment for 4 weeks plus a follow-up observation for 4 weeks. As the primary outcome measures, Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) and headache frequency were assessed every 4 weeks (at baseline, week 4, week 8 and week 12). The secondary outcome was the scores of Headache Disability inventory (HDI) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) as well as the adverse events. RESULTS: All 87 individuals had been screened for eligibility, of which 60 were licensed for the study. The difference of HIT-6 and headache frequency between the 2 groups was not significant at the baseline. But the headache frequency and HIT-6 of 2 groups were all declined respectively after the CST at week 4 (group A) and week 8 (group B) than before (P☆= 0.01 < 0.05, 95% CI, -3.06 to -1.87; P※= 0.01 < 0.05, 95% CI, -3.52 to -2.53; P1A = 0.01 < 0.05, 95% CI, 4.55-11.7; P2B = 0.01 < 0.05, 95% CI, -11.78 to -6.01) while the changes were not obvious after CLST with previous treatment. The scores and frequency of fourth evaluation showed that there was no significant increase or decrease in both the 2 groups. Besides, we found that the mean scores of HIT-6 for all participants, compared with the baseline, were decreased significantly after the 3 round treatments (P3A = 0.01 < 0.05, 95% CI, -13.12 to -6.4; P3B = 0.01 < 0.05, CI, -12.73 to -6.69). We also showed the similar result in the scores of HDI and HAMA. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that standardized CST was both effective and safe in alleviating the migraine intensity and frequency as well as the headache-related disability. Further larger research is needed.

Ammonia level influences the assembly of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia bacterial community in soils under different heavy metal remediation treatments.

Heavy metal remediation treatments might influence functional microbial community assembly. Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) contributes to the nitrogen retention processes in soil ecosystems. We assumed that remediation might reduce heavy metal toxicity and increase some available nutrients for the DNRA microbes, thus balancing the deterministic and stochastic process for DNRA community assembly. Here, we investigated the process of DNRA bacterial community assembly under different heavy metal remediation treatments (including control, biochar, limestone, rice straw, rice straw + limestone, and biochar + limestone) in an Alfisol soil. The abundance of DNRA bacteria diverged across treatments. The α-diversity of the DNRA bacterial community was correlated with pH, available phosphorus (AP), ammonium (NH4+), and extractable Fe (EFe). Metal Cd and Fe significantly affected the abundance of the nrfA gene. The ß-diversity was associated with pH, NH4+, and EFe. Deterministic processes dominantly drove the assembly processes of the DNRA bacterial community. NH4+ level played an essential role in the assembly processes than the other soil physicochemical properties and metal availability. High, moderate, and low levels of NH4+ could advocate stochastic process plus selection, heterogeneous selection to stochastic process, and heterogeneous selection, respectively. Network analysis highlighted a predominant role of NH4+ in regulating DNRA bacterial community assembly. However, the relative abundance of modules and some keystone species also were influenced by pH and EFe, respectively. Therefore, the DNRA bacterial community assembly under different heavy metal remediation treatments in this study was dominantly driven by nitrogen availability. pH, phosphorus, and metal availability were auxiliary regulators on DNRA bacterial community.

VHPKQHR Peptide Modified Ultrasmall Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Targeting Rheumatoid Arthritis for T1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be the ideal diagnostic modality for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is highly expressed in synovial locations in patients with RA, which could be a potential target protein for RA diagnosis. The peptide VHPKQHR (VHP) has a high affinity to VCAM-1. To make the contrast agent to target RA at an early stage, we used VHP and ultrasmall paramagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) to synthesize UVHP (U stands for USPIO) through a chemical reaction with 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride and N-hydroxysuccinimide. The size of UVHP was 6.7 nm; the potential was -27.7 mV, and the r 2/r 1 value was 1.73. Cytotoxicity assay exhibited that the cell survival rate was higher than 80% at even high concentrations of UVHP (Fe concentration 200 µg/mL), which showed the UVHP has low toxicity. Compared with no TNF-α stimulation, VCAM-1 expression was increased nearly 3-fold when mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs) were stimulated with 50 ng/mL TNF-α; cellular Fe uptake was increased very significantly with increasing UVHP concentration under TNF-α treatment; cellular Fe content was 17 times higher under UVHP with Fe concentration 200 µg/mL treating MAECs. These results indicate that UVHP can target overexpression of VCAM-1 at the cellular level. RA mice models were constructed with adjuvant-induced arthritis. In vivo MRI and biodistribution results show that the signal intensity of knee joints was increased significantly and Fe accumulation in RA model mice compared with normal wild-type mice after injecting UVHP 24 h. These results suggest that we have synthesized a simple, low-cost, and less toxic contrast agent UVHP, which targeted VCAM-1 for early-stage RA diagnosis and generates high contrast in T1-weighted MRI.

Fuzheng Yiliu Formula Regulates Tumor Invasion and Metastasis through Inhibition of WAVE3 Expression.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of action of Fuzheng Yiliu formula (FZYLF) in regulation of the invasion and metastasis of MDA-MB-231/Adr human breast cancer cells through WAVE3. METHODS: The MDA-MB-231/Adr cells with high invasive ability were screened by Transwell, and the plasmid with high WAVE3 expression was made for transfection. Plasmid transfection efficiency and protein expression level were verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting (WB). The effect of FZYLF on cell proliferation and invasion was investigated before and after WAVE3 silencing by flow cytometry. A nude mouse model of tumor metastasis was established to study the antitumor activity of FZYLF. RESULTS: The expression levels of mRNA and proteins of intracellular WAVE3 increased significantly after plasmid transfection, mRNA from 1.37± 0.41 to 9.88 ± 1.31 and protein from 1 ± 0.08 to 5.09 ± 0.03 (P < 0.01). Intervention with FZYLF could significantly affect the activity of MDA-MB-231/Adr cells and inhibit invasion and metastasis, IC50 from 71.04 to 46.41 mg/mL and from 162 ± 14.82 to 81.4 ± 12.05 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and significantly reduce the expression levels of WAVE3 (from 1 ± 0.02 to 0.63 ± 0.04), MMP-9 (from 1 ± 0.05 to 0.63 ± 0.03), NF-κB (p65) (from 1 ± 0.02 to 0.62 ± 0.02), and p-IκBα (from 1 ± 0.03 to 0.68 ± 0.02) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The T/C (%) of FZYLF (13 g crude drug/kg) was 62.06% for MDA-MB-231/Adr tumor xenografted in nude mice, with a tumor inhibition rate of 39.64%. CONCLUSION: FZYLF can inhibit the invasion and proliferation of the MDA-MB-231/Adr human breast cancer cells, and the mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of WAVE3 expression.

Cocktail Therapy of Fosthiazate and Cupric-Ammoniun Complex for Citrus Huanglongbing.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a destructive citrus bacterial disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Ca.Las) and cannot be cured by current pesticides. Root lesion and Tylenchulus semipenetrans juveniles were observed in HLB-affected citrus tree roots. We hypothesize that root treatment with fosthiazate (FOS) and Cupric-Ammonium Complex (CAC) will improve the root growth and inhibit HLB. CAC is a broad spectrum fungicide and can promote growth of crops. FOS kills Tylenchulus semipenetrans and protects roots from damage by harmful bacteria such as Ca.Las. After 90 days of combination treatment of FOS and CAC through root drenches, the citrus grew new roots and its leaves changed their color to green. The inhibition rate of Ca.Las reached more than 90%. During treatment process, the chlorophyll content and the root vitality increased 396 and 151%, respectively, and starch accumulation decreased by 88%. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and plant tissue dyeing experiments showed that more irregular swollen starch granules existed in the chloroplast thylakoid system of the HLB-infected leaves. This is due to the blocking of their secretory tissue by starch. TEM and flow cytometry experiments in vitro showed the synergistic effects of FOS and CAC. A transcriptome analysis revealed that the treatment induced the differential expression of the genes which involved 103 metabolic pathways. These results suggested that the cocktail treatment of FOS and CAC may effectively kill various pathogens including Ca.Las on citrus root and thus effectively control HLB.

Dispersal limitation driving phoD-harboring bacterial community assembly: A potential indicator for ecosystem multifunctionality in long-term fertilized soils.

Elucidating the association between the phoD-harboring bacterial community and soil ecosystem multifunctionality, which is crucial for the comprehension of the phoD-harboring bacterial role and contribution in agro-ecosystems, is an essential but rarely investigated subject. Here, we explored the phoD-harboring bacterial community in long-term fertilized soils using amplicon sequencing and multiple analysis methods including the null, neutral, and niche breadth models. We found distance-decay relationships of community similarities against geographical distance on a large spatial scale. Community dissimilarity was significantly lower in the organic fertilization treatment (M) than that in the no (CK) and mineral (NPK) fertilizer treatments. Dispersal limitation governed community assembly in CK, M, NPK, and whole samples, with corresponding relative contributions of 58.2%, 58.3%, 52.8%, and 54.4%, respectively. Electrical conductivity, total carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic phosphorus, and available phosphorus were responsible for the community assembly of phoD-harboring bacteria. Multiple model analysis revealed that the phoD-harboring bacterial community was less constrained by the environment and presented flexible metabolism in soils with the M fertilization treatment. phoD-harboring bacteria presented more conflicting interaction and exhibited significantly higher ecosystem multifunctionality in soils with the M fertilization treatment than that in the CK and NPK fertilization treatments. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a less environment-constrained phoD-harboring bacterial community might lead to a larger difference in ecosystem multifunctionality in fertilized soils. Therefore, we suggest phoD-harboring bacterial community assembly could be a biotic indicator for evaluating soil ecosystem multifunctionality.

Soil Aggregate Stratification of Ureolytic Microbiota Affects Urease Activity in an Inceptisol.

Ureolytic microbes play a pivotal role in the maintenance of soil fertility. Soil aggregates are supposed to provide heterogeneous habitats for microorganisms, which may result in distinct metabolic functions. However, limited information is available regarding the distribution patterns, driving factors, and activity of ureolytic microbiota at the aggregate scale. In this study, we characterized the ureolytic microbiota and urease activity of three soil aggregate fractions from an Inceptisol subjected to 5 years of different fertilization regimes. Correlations between soil chemical characteristics and ureolytic microbial communities were analyzed. The results showed that the total abundance as well as the relative abundance of copiotrophic ureolytic microbes generally increased with the increasing soil aggregate size. This trend was in line with the nutrient distribution patterns, including labile carbon, NH4+, total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Soil urease activity also increased significantly with the increasing soil aggregate size and was positively correlated with copiotrophic ureolyric microbes, such as Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. Thus, we speculated that larger size soil aggregates with greater availability of labile carbon support more copiotrophic ureolyric microbes with a high growth rate, leading to a high density of total ureolytic microbes and higher urease activity. Smaller aggregates with less available carbon were associated with more oligotrophs, higher abundances of total ureolytic microbes, and higher urease activity. Our results suggest that larger soil aggregates and associated ureolyric microbes play a more important role in nutrient cycling for crop growth in this Inceptisol ecosystem.

Clinical Use of Toxic Proteins and Peptides from Tian Hua Fen and Scorpion Venom.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practiced in China for thousands of years. As a complementary and alternative treatment, herbal medicines that are frequently used in the TCM are the most accepted in the Western world. However, animal materials, which are equally important in the TCM practice, are not well-known in other countries. On the other hand, the Chinese doctors had documented the toxic profiles of hundreds of animals and plants thousand years ago. Furthermore, they saw the potential benefits of these materials and used their toxic properties to treat a wide variety of diseases, such as heavy pain and cancer. Since the 50s of the last century, efforts of the Chinese government and societies to modernize TCM have achieved tremendous scientific results in both laboratory and clinic. A number of toxic proteins have been isolated and their functions identified. Although most of the literature was written in Chinese, this review provide a summary, in English, regarding our knowledge of the clinical use of the toxic proteins isolated from a plant, Tian Hua Fen, and an animal, scorpion, both of which are famous toxic prescriptions in TCM.

FinR Regulates Expression of nicC and nicX Operons, Involved in Nicotinic Acid Degradation in Pseudomonas putida KT2440.

Many proteobacteria harbor FinR homologues in their genomes as putative LysR-type proteins; however, the function of FinR is poorly studied except in the induction of fpr-1 under superoxide stress conditions in Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Here, by analyzing the influence of finR deletion on the transcriptomic profile of P. putida KT2440 through RNA sequencing and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), we found 11 operons that are potentially regulated by FinR. Among them, the expression of nicC and nicX operons, which were reported to be responsible for the aerobic degradation of nicotinic acid (NA), was significantly decreased in the finR mutant, and complementation with intact finR restored the expression of the two operons. The results of bacterial NA utilization demonstrated that the deletion of finR impaired bacterial growth in minimal medium supplemented with NA/6HNA (6-hydroxynicotinic acid) as the sole carbon source and that complementation with intact finR restored the growth of the mutant strain. The expression of nicC and nicX operons was previously revealed to be repressed by the NicR repressor and induced by NA/6HNA. Our transcriptional assay revealed that the deletion of finR weakened the induction of nicC and nicX by NA/6HNA. Meanwhile, the deletion of finR largely decreased the effect of nicR deletion on the expression of nicC and nicX operons. These results suggest that finR plays a positive role and cooperates with NicR in the regulation of nicC and nicX operons. In vitro experiments showed that both FinR and NicR bound to nicX and nicC promoter regions directly. The results of this study deepened our knowledge of FinR function and nicotinic acid degradation in P. putidaIMPORTANCE This study analyzed the influence of finR deletion on the transcriptomic profile of Pseudomonas putida KT2440. The FinR regulator is widely distributed but poorly studied in diverse proteobacteria. Here, we found 11 operons that potentially are regulated by FinR in KT2440. We further demonstrated that FinR played a positive role and cooperated with the NicR repressor in bacterial nicotinic acid (NA) degradation via regulating the expression of nicC and nicX operons. Furthermore, a transcriptomic analysis also indicated a potentially negative role of FinR in the expression of the hut cluster involved in bacterial histidine utilization. The work deepened our knowledge of FinR function and nicotinic acid degradation in P. putida.

A novel nanocomposite based on fluorescent turn-on gold nanostars for near-infrared photothermal therapy and self-theranostic caspase-3 imaging of glioblastoma tumor cell.

We demonstrated a novel nanocomposite based on fluorescent turn-on gold nanostars for simultaneous tumor targeting photothermal therapy (PTT) and feedback apoptosis imaging of the self-therapeutic effect. In this theranostic agent (AuNS@probe), gold nanostars (AuNSs) and fluorescent dye Atto 655, as a fluorophore/quencher pair, were conjugated to form intermolecular fluorescence quenching in virtue of the linkage of a caspase-3 responsive peptide. Folic acid targeting moiety facilitated the selective accumulation in cancer cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Upon photo irradiation, AuNS@probe demonstrated excellent photothermal effect and induced cell death with apoptosis related mechanism. The typical apoptosis-effector proteases, caspase-3, was subsequently activated and terminated intramolecular fluorescent quenching process. Obvious fluorescence recovery could be applied to precisely assess the activated caspase-3 expression and the real time therapeutic efficacy. This novel versatile nanocomposite could serve as a theranostic agent for tumor targeting PTT and also provide self-therapeutic monitoring for precise cancer therapeutic applications.

Contrasting responses of bacterial and fungal communities to aggregate-size fractions and long-term fertilizations in soils of northeastern China.

Soils, with non-uniform distribution of nutrients across different aggregate-size fractions, provide spatially heterogeneous microhabitats for microorganisms. However, very limited information is available on microbial distributions and their response to fertilizations across aggregate-size fractions in agricultural soils. Here, we examined the structures of bacterial and fungal communities across different aggregate-size fractions (2000-250 µm, 250-53 µm and <53 µm) in response to 35-years organic and/or chemical fertilization regimes in the soil of northeastern China by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and high throughput sequencing (HTS) technology. Our results show that larger fractions (>53 µm), especially 250-53 µm aggregates, which contain more soil C and N, are associated with greater microbial biomass and higher fungi/bacteria ratio. We firstly reported the fungal community composition in different aggregate-size fractions by HTS technology and found more Ascomycota but less Zygomycota in larger fractions with higher C content across all fertilization regimes. Fertilization and aggregate-size fractions significantly affect the compositions of bacterial and fungal communities although their effects are different. The bacterial community is mainly driven by fertilization, especially chemical fertilizers, and is closely related to the shifts of soil P (phosphorus). The fungal community is preferentially impacted by different aggregate-size fractions and is more associated with the changes of soil C and N. The distinct responses of microbial communities suggest different mechanisms controlling the assembly of soil bacterial and fungal communities at aggregate scale. The investigations of both bacterial and fungal communities could provide a better understanding on nutrient cycling across aggregate-size fractions.

Rehabilitation Treatment and Progress of Traumatic Brain Injury Dysfunction.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of chronic disability. Worldwide, it is the leading cause of disability in the under 40s. Behavioral problems, mood, cognition, particularly memory, attention, and executive function are commonly impaired by TBI. Spending to assist, TBI survivors with disabilities are estimated to be costly per year. Such impaired functional outcomes following TBI can be improved via various rehabilitative approaches. The objective of the present paper is to review the current rehabilitation treatment of traumatic brain injury in adults.

[Effect of Muxiang Shunqi Pill on Digestive Disorders of Prephase Uremia Patients and Its Mechanism].

Objective To observe the effect of Muxiang Shunqi Pill (MSP) on digestive disorders of prephase uremia patients, and to study its underlying mechanism. Methods A total of 40 prephase uremia patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were randomly and equally assigned to the MSP group and the Mosapride group. Besides, 20 subjects with normal physical examinations were recruited as the control. Patients in the MSP group took MSP, 6 g each time, three times per day, taken 30 min after dinner. Those in the Mosaprido group took Mosapride Tablet (MT) , 5 mg each time, three times per day, taken 30 min before diner. The therapeutic course for all was 4 weeks. The clinical curative effect was observed. Electrogastrogram, serum levels of gastrin (GAS) and motilin (MTL) , safety and recurrence rate were evaluated. Results The total effective rate was 90% (18/20) and the recurrence rate was 15% (320) in the MSP group, higher than those of the Mosapride group [60%(12/20) , X² =4. 80, P =0. 025; 45% (9/20) , X² =4. 29, P =0. 025]. Compared with before treatment in the same group, the percentage of normal rhythm increased, the bradygastria rate was lowered, serum levels of GAS and MTL increased in the two groups after treatment (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Compared with the Mosapride group, the bradygastria rate decreased more obviously, serum levels of GAS and MTL were increased more in the MSP group (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Conclusion MSP could effectively improve digestive disorders of prephase uremia patients, which might be achieved through promoting gastrointestinal motility and regulating ser- um levels of gastrointestinal hormones.

[The same disease with different syndromes: a proteomic study of chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the differential proteomic profiles of the plasma in patients with chronic hepatitis B presenting with damp-heat retention syndrome and liver stagnation-spleen deficiency syndrome. METHODS: Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) were used to identify the differentially expressed proteins in the plasma of patients with chronic hepatitis B. RESULTS: The numbers of plasma proteins detected in healthy volunteers, patients with damp-heat retention syndrome, and patients with liver stagnation-spleen deficiency syndrome were 278±16, 320±14 and 343±19, respectively. Seven differential protein spots were successfully identified by mass spectrum, and were classified into immunological proteins, inflammatory proteins, and lipid metabolism-related proteins. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic hepatitis B, the multiple differential proteins between damp-heat retention syndrome and liver stagnation-spleen deficiency syndrome suggests the diverse molecular basis of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes, and they might be the molecular tags for different syndromes of the same disease.

Effects of long term rice straw application on the microbial communities of rapeseed rhizosphere in a paddy-upland rotation system.

The influence of the rice straw application on rhizosphere microbial communities in the long-term rotation system remains unclear. Two experimental sites (Jingzhou and Wuxue) with the same straw fertilization have been cultivated under the rapeseed-rice rotation mode for 7years. Eco-plate data indicated that the microbial metabolic potential at both sites was enhanced in the cores applied with rice straw. Rhizosphere microbial communities at the two fields could be well distinguished by phospholipid fatty acid data. Redundancy analysis showed that the rapeseed rhizosphere microbial communities in Jingzhou were influenced by soil moisture content, available potassium and available nitrogen, whereas those in Wuxue were influenced by soil available phosphorous, available potassium, total soil carbon and available nitrogen. Variation in soil enzyme activities could be mainly explained by available potassium in Jingzhou, and it was significantly affected by total soil carbon, available nitrogen, available potassium, available phosphorous, total soil nitrogen, moisture content and total phosphorous in Wuxue. The two rapeseed rhizosphere microbial communities are differently affected by the rice-straw application. Rhizosphere with more fungi was passively influenced by the rice-straw, while that with more Gram-negative bacteria was actively in response to the treatment.

Microbial communities play important roles in modulating paddy soil fertility.

We studied microbial communities in two paddy soils, which did not receive nitrogen fertilization and were distinguished by the soil properties. The two microbial communities differed in the relative abundance of gram-negative bacteria and total microbial biomass. Variability in microbial communities between the two fields was related to the levels of phosphorus and soil moisture. Redundancy analysis for individual soils showed that the bacterial community dynamics in the high-yield soil were significantly correlated with total carbon, moisture, available potassium, and pH, and those in the low-yield cores were shaped by pH, and nitrogen factors. Biolog Eco-plate data showed a more active microbial community in the high yield soil. The variations of enzymatic activities in the two soils were significantly explained by total nitrogen, total potassium, and moisture. The enzymatic variability in the low-yield soil was significantly explained by potassium, available nitrogen, pH, and total carbon, and that in the high-yield soil was partially explained by potassium and moisture. We found the relative abundances of Gram-negative bacteria and Actinomycetes partially explained the spatial and temporal variations of soil enzymatic activities, respectively. The high-yield soil microbes are probably more active to modulate soil fertility for rice production.

Utility of surface pollen assemblages to delimit Eastern Eurasian steppe types.

Modern pollen records have been used to successfully distinguish between specific prairie types in North America. Whether the pollen records can be used to detect the occurrence of Eurasian steppe, or even to further delimit various steppe types was until now unclear. Here we characterized modern pollen assemblages of meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe from eastern Eurasia along an ecological humidity gradient. The multivariate ordination of the pollen data indicated that Eurasian steppe types could be clearly differentiated. The different steppe types could be distinguished primarily by xerophilous elements in the pollen assemblages. Redundancy analysis indicated that the relative abundances of Ephedra, Tamarix, Nitraria and Zygophyllaceae were positively correlated with aridity. The relative abundances of Ephedra increased from meadow steppe to typical steppe and desert steppe. Tamarix and Zygophyllaceae were found in both typical steppe and desert steppe, but not in meadow steppe. Nitraria was only found in desert steppe. The relative abundances of xerophilous elements were greater in desert steppe than in typical steppe. These findings indicate that Eurasian steppe types can be differentiated based on recent pollen rain.

Identify changes of brain regional homogeneity in bipolar disorder and unipolar depression using resting-state FMRI.

BACKGROUND: To identify changes in brain activation patterns in bipolar disorder (BD) and unipolar depression (UD) patients. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Resting-state fMRI scans of 16 healthy controls, 17 BD and 16 UD patients were obtained. T-test of normalized regional homogeneity (ReHo) was performed in a voxel-by-voxel manner. A combined threshold of á = 0.05, minimum cluster volume of V = 10503 mm(3) (389 voxels) were used to determine ReHo differences between groups. In UD group, fMRI revealed ReHo increases in the left middle occipital lobe, right inferior parietal lobule, right precuneus and left convolution; and ReHo decreases in the left parahippocampalgyrus, right precentralgyrus, left postcentralgyrus, left precentralgyrus and left cingulated. In BD group, ReHo increases in the right insular cortex, left middle frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left occipital lobe, left parietal, left superior frontal gyrus and left thalamus; and ReHo decreases in the right anterior lobe of cerebellum, pons, right precentralgyrus, left postcentralgyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and right cingulate. There were some overlaps in ReHo profiles between UD and BD groups, but a marked difference was seen in the thalamus of BD. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The resting-state fMRI and ReHo mapping are a promising tool to assist the detection of functional deficits and distinguish clinical and pathophysiological signs of BD and UD.