Analysis of the Changes and Significance of Serum APN, MCP-1, hs-CRP, SOD Levels in Patients with Hypertension Combined with Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: The objective of this study was to observe and analyze changes in serum levels of APN, MCP-1, hs-CRP, and SOD in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) and to investigate the correlations among these inflammatory factors. The study aimed to provide insights into disease monitoring and management. Methods: 320 cases were included in this study, including 50 cases in group A (simple diabetes mellitus); 60 cases in group B (simple hypertension); and 90 cases in group C (Hypertension with diabetes). 120 healthy subjects served as the control group. Fasting blood glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (GHbA1c) and other biochemical indicators were detected, and ELISA detected the levels of MCP-1, APN and SOD, hs-CRP was detected by immunoenhanced turbidimetric method. Results: Patients with diabetes (group A), hypertension (group B), and hypertension with diabetes (group C) exhibited elevated FPG, GHbA1c, hs-CRP, and MCP-1 levels and decreased APN and SOD levels compared to the control group (P < .05). In patients with hypertension and diabetes (group C), FPG and GHbA1c levels were positively correlated with MCP-1 and hs-CRP, while APN levels showed a negative correlation with these inflammatory markers(P < .05). SOD levels were positively correlated with MCP-1, APN, and hs-CRP levels in group C patients (P < .05). Conclusion: These results suggest that APN, MCP-1, hs-CRP, and SOD are important factors in the development of atherosclerosis in patients with comorbid hypertension and diabetes. Monitoring these biomarkers may guide disease management strategies.

Genetic Dissection of Phosphorus Use Efficiency and Genotype-by-Environment Interaction in Maize.

Genotype-by-environment interaction (G-by-E) is a common but potentially problematic phenomenon in plant breeding. In this study, we investigated the genotypic performance and two measures of plasticity on a phenotypic and genetic level by assessing 234 maize doubled haploid lines from six populations for 15 traits in seven macro-environments with a focus on varying soil phosphorus levels. It was found intergenic regions contributed the most to the variation of phenotypic linear plasticity. For 15 traits, 124 and 31 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for genotypic performance and phenotypic plasticity, respectively. Further, some genes associated with phosphorus use efficiency, such as Zm00001eb117170, Zm00001eb258520, and Zm00001eb265410, encode small ubiquitin-like modifier E3 ligase were identified. By significantly testing the main effect and G-by-E effect, 38 main QTL and 17 interaction QTL were identified, respectively, in which MQTL38 contained the gene Zm00001eb374120, and its effect was related to phosphorus concentration in the soil, the lower the concentration, the greater the effect. Differences in the size and sign of the QTL effect in multiple environments could account for G-by-E. At last, the superiority of G-by-E in genomic selection was observed. In summary, our findings will provide theoretical guidance for breeding P-efficient and broadly adaptable varieties.

Genetic Dissection of Phosphorus Use Efficiency in a Maize Association Population under Two P Levels in the Field.

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is an important challenge the world faces while having to increase crop yields. It is therefore necessary to select maize (Zea may L.) genotypes with high phosphorus use efficiency (PUE). Here, we extensively analyzed the biomass, grain yield, and PUE-related traits of 359 maize inbred lines grown under both low-P and normal-P conditions. A significant decrease in grain yield per plant and biomass, an increase in PUE under low-P condition, as well as significant correlations between the two treatments were observed. In a genome-wide association study, 49, 53, and 48 candidate genes were identified for eleven traits under low-P, normal-P conditions, and in low-P tolerance index (phenotype under low-P divided by phenotype under normal-P condition) datasets, respectively. Several gene ontology pathways were enriched for the genes identified under low-P condition. In addition, seven key genes related to phosphate transporter or stress response were molecularly characterized. Further analyses uncovered the favorable haplotype for several core genes, which is less prevalent in modern lines but often enriched in a specific subpopulation. Collectively, our research provides progress in the genetic dissection and molecular characterization of PUE in maize.

Shale oil production and groundwater: What can we learn from produced water data?

As oil production in the Permian Basin surges, the impact of shale production on groundwater resources has become a growing concern. Most existing studies focus on the impact of shale production on shallow freshwater aquifers. There is little understanding of the shale development's impact on other groundwater resources (e.g., deep carbonate aquifers and deep basin meteoric aquifers). The possible natural hydraulic connections between shallow aquifers and formation water suggest such an impact can be consequential. This study explores the relationship between shale production and groundwater using produced water (PW) samples from active unconventional oil wells. Focusing on the most productive portion of the Permian Basin-the four-county region in Southeast New Mexico between 2007 and 2016, a large produced water dataset allows us to analyze the conditional correlations between shale oil production and PW constituents. The results suggest that (1) expanding from primarily conventional wells to unconventional wells during the recent shale boom has led to dramatic increases of the TDS, chloride, sodium, and calcium levels in groundwater (i.e., producing formation). (2) Nearby oil well density positively correlates with the TDS, chloride, and sodium levels in the PW samples.