Dual-Functional Eu-Metal-Organic Framework with Ratiometric Fluorescent Broad-Spectrum Sensing of Benzophenone-like Ultraviolet Filters and High Proton Conduction.

The construction of attractive dual-functional lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) with ratiometric fluorescent detection and proton conductivity is significant and challenging. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) Eu-MOF, namely, [Eu4(HL)2(SBA)4(H2O)6]·9H2O, has been hydrothermally synthesized with a dual-ligand strategy, using (4-carboxypiperidyl)-N-methylenephosphonic acid (H3L = H2O3PCH2-NC5H9-COOH) and 4-sulfobenzoic acid monopotassium salt (KHSBA = KO3SC6H4COOH) as organic linkers. Eu-MOF showed ratiometric fluorescent broad-spectrum sensing of benzophenone-like ultraviolet filters (BP-like UVFs) with satisfactory sensitivity, selectivity, and low limits of detection in water/ethanol (1:1, v/v) solutions and real urine systems. A portable test paper was prepared for the convenience of actual detection. The potential sensing mechanisms were thoroughly analyzed by diversified experiments. The synergistic effect of the forbidden energy transfer from the ligand to Eu3+, the internal filtration effect (IFE), the formation of a complex, and weak interactions between the KHSBA ligand and BP-like UVFs is responsible for the ratiometric sensing effect. Meanwhile, Eu-MOF displayed relatively high proton conductivity of 2.60 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 368 K and 95% relative humidity (RH), making it a potential material for proton conduction. This work provides valuable guidance for the facile and effective design and construction of multifunctional Ln-MOFs with promising performance.

BCL2L13: physiological and pathological meanings.

BCL2L13 is a BCL2-like protein. It has been discovered for two decades, now on the way to be a hotspot of research with its physiological and pathological meanings found in recent years. Start with the pro-apoptotic activity, there have been reported consecutively that BCL2L13 could also induce mitochondrial fragmentation, inhibit cell death and promote mitophagy. Similar to BNIP3, BCL2L13 cannot be indiscriminately categorized into pro- or anti-apoptotic proteins. It anchors in the mitochondrial outer membrane, and expresses in various cells and tissues. This article reviews for the first time that BCL2L13 functions in physiological processes, such as growth and development and energy metabolism, and its dysregulation participating in pathological processes, including cancer, bacterial infection, cardiovascular diseases and degenerative diseases, suggesting its important roles in these events.

A solution for restoration of critical wetlands and waterbird habitats in coastal deltaic systems.

Loss of coastal wetland habitats has been directly linked to a decline in waterbird populations including migratory species, leading to calls to reverse this trend in part by restoring these habitats. However, distinct "sediment scarcity" has hindered coastal habitat restoration. Here, taking the Yangtze River Delta, China as an example, we put forward a feasible solution to solve the sediment shortage in habitat restoration so necessary to restore migratory waterbird numbers. Four biological indices including total wetland area, wetland vegetation area and waterbird species richness and abundance, were used to compare and assess the restorative efforts. Three solutions were adopted for the rehabilitation sites, including promoting sediment deposition and settlement through engineering intervention in Chongming Dongtan (CD) and Eastern Nanhui (EN), and using dredged sediments to nourish and create new habitats in Hengsha Eastern Shoal (HES). The mean wetland area increased 19.66 km2/yr in EN, 8.78 km2/yr in HES and 3.83 km2/yr in CD after rehabilitation. Along with the increase of wetlands and habitats, the abundance of waterbirds increased 1.3 times, 121 times and 1.5 times in EN, HES and CD, respectively. In contrast, in the site of Fengxian and Jinshan (FJ) where no any rehabilitation measure was taken after reclamation, the habitats were lost almost completely and the waterbird abundance dropped drastically. The comparison and assessment results demonstrate that proper coastal silting structures and ecological utilization of nearby dredged sediments are the feasible and effective solutions to retain sediments, restore coastal habitats and increase waterbird diversity and abundance.

Transcriptomic and physiological responses of Skeletonema costatum to ATP utilization.

The capacity of phytoplankton to utilize dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) plays an important role in their competition for resources when the availability of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) is low in the aquatic systems. Here, we explored the physiological and molecular responses of a globally distributed marine diatom, Skeletonema costatum, in utilizing adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) based on incubation experiments under ATP, DIP-replete, and DIP-depleted conditions. The results show that ATP supports the growth of S. costatum as efficiently as DIP. The pathway of S. costatum involved in utilizing ATP is not related to alkaline phosphatase (AP), an important DOP hydrolase, although extracellular hydrolysis is involved. The transcriptome analysis revealed several transcripts related to the hydrolase activity (e.g. NAD+ diphosphatase), which were significantly upregulated in the ATP culture group, indicating their possible involvement in ATP hydrolysis. Meanwhile, ATP-grown S. costatum exhibited downregulation of the genes related to a series of metabolic activities (e.g. purine metabolism), apparently to adapt to ATP condition.

Low DEDD expression in breast cancer cells indicates higher sensitivity to the Bcl-2-specific inhibitor ABT-199.

As a proapoptotic death effect domain (DED)-containing protein, DED-containing DNA-binding protein (DEDD) has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth, invasion and metastasis in our previous studies. Here, we demonstrated that knockdown of DEDD in MCF-7 cells resulted in characteristic drug resistance to doxorubicin and paclitaxel, and overexpression of DEDD in MDA-MB-231 cells increased their sensitivity to doxorubicin and paclitaxel. The expression levels of DEDD were positively correlated with Bcl-2 in breast cancer cell lines as well as in human breast cancer tissue. Knockdown of DEDD downregulated the transcriptional activity of the bcl-2 gene and shortened the time for Bcl-2 degradation. DEDD interacts with and stabilizes Bcl-2, and breast cancer cells with low DEDD expression were more sensitive to treatment with a BH3 mimetic, ABT-199, than were those with high DEDD expression. In total, our findings highlight a new strategy for treating breast cancer with no/low DEDD expression by targeting Bcl-2 with the BH3 mimetic ABT-199.

FAM60A, increased by Helicobacter pylori, promotes proliferation and suppresses apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by targeting the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection can promote the development of gastric cancer (GC); however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. FAM60A has been found showing high levels in some cancer cells, including lung cancer (A549), and pancreatic cancer (Capan-2) cell lines. Data in oncomine showed that FAM60A overexpression was an critical prognostic factor in GC. In this study, we showed that knockdown of FAM60A could revert the increase of proliferation and the decrease of apoptosis caused by H.pylori infection in HGC-27 and AGS cells. Conversely, FAM60A upregulation promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in HGC-27 and AGS cells. We also found that the PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor LY294002 could revert the changes caused by FAM60A upregulation in HGC-27 and AGS cells. Thus, our study provides evidence that FAM60A act as a carcinogen and suggests that H. pylori-induced upregulation of FAM60A may contribute to the development of gastric cancer.

IL-17D: A Less Studied Cytokine of IL-17 Family.

The interleukin-17 (IL-17) family is a relatively new family of cytokines consisting of 6 related factors (IL-17A-IL-17F), while the receptor family consists of 5 members: IL-17RA-IL-17RE. IL-17A is the prototype member of this family, which is also the signature cytokine of T helper 17 (Th17) cells. Th17 cells are involved in the development of autoimmune disease, inflammation, and tumors. Although IL-17D is similar to IL-17A in its ability to induce inflammatory cytokine production, there are fewer studies on IL-17D. Recently, the role of IL-17D in tumors and infections has attracted our attention. Some knowledge of function of IL-17D has been gained by studies using nonmammalian species. In this review, we introduce the structural characteristics, expression patterns, and biological characteristics of IL-17D along with its potential function in the pathogenesis of disease.

Characteristics of Malignant Pleural Effusion Resident CD8+ T Cells from a Heterogeneous Collection of Tumors.

While T cell-based cancer immunotherapies have shown great promise, there remains a need to understand how individual metastatic tumor environments impart local T cell dysfunction. At advanced stages, cancers that metastasize to the pleural space can result in a malignant pleural effusion (MPE) that harbors abundant tumor and immune cells, often exceeding 108 leukocytes per liter. Unlike other metastatic sites, MPEs are readily and repeatedly accessible via indwelling catheters, providing an opportunity to study the interface between tumor dynamics and immunity. In the current study, we examined CD8+ T cells within MPEs collected from patients with heterogeneous primary tumors and at various stages in treatment to determine (1) if these cells possess anti-tumor activity following removal from the MPE, (2) factors in the MPE that may contribute to their dysfunction, and (3) the phenotypic changes in T cell populations that occur following ex vivo expansion. Co-cultures of CD8+ T cells with autologous CD45- tumor containing cells demonstrated cytotoxicity (p = 0.030) and IFNγ production (p = 0.003) that inversely correlated with percent of myeloid derived suppressor cells, lactate, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) within the MPE. Ex vivo expansion of CD8+ T cells resulted in progressive differentiation marked by distinct populations expressing decreased CD45RA, CCR7, CD127, and increased inhibitory receptors. These findings suggest that MPEs may be a source of tumor-reactive T cells and that the cellular and acellular components suppress optimal function.

Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of High Crystallinity Sb2 Se3 Nanowire with Strong Anisotropy for Near-Infrared Photodetectors.

Low-dimensional semiconductors have attracted considerable attention due to their unique structures and remarkable properties, which makes them promising materials for a wide range of applications related to electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, the preparation of 1D Sb2 Se3 nanowires (NWs) with high crystal quality via chemical vapor deposition growth is reported. The obtained Sb2 Se3 NWs have triangular prism morphology with aspect ratio range from 2 to 200, and three primary lattice orientations can be achieved on the sixfold symmetry mica substrate. Angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy measurement reveals strong anisotropic properties of the Sb2 Se3 NWs, which is also developed to identify its crystal orientation. Furthermore, photodetectors based on Sb2 Se3 NW exhibit a wide spectral photoresponse range from visible to NIR (400-900 nm). Owing to the high crystallinity of Sb2 Se3 NW, the photodetector acquires a photocurrent on/off ratio of about 405, a responsivity of 5100 mA W-1 , and fast rise and fall times of about 32 and 5 ms, respectively. Additionally, owing to the anisotropic structure of Sb2 Se3 NW, the device exhibits polarization-dependent photoresponse. The high crystallinity and superior anisotropy of Sb2 Se3 NW, combined with controllable preparation endows it with great potential for constructing multifunctional optoelectronic devices.

Moderate hyperoxia plays a protective role in lung bronchial epithelial cells.

PURPOSE: Oxygen therapy is commonly used in clinical settings, but several problems may result from improper use. Oxygen poisoning involves the initiation of a series of inflammatory reactions. In this study, we compared the effects of moderate hyperoxia (40% O2) and extreme hyperoxia (85% O2) on pulmonary bronchial epithelial cells. METHODS: Normal human tracheobronchial epithelium (NHBE) cells were exposed to hyperoxia (40% and 85%) for 24 hours, and their survival rates were determined by the colorimetic assay, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide). The protein and mRNA levels of RelA, RelB, ASK1, TNF-α and secretory component (SC) were detected by immunohistochemical staining, western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The NHBE cell survival increased in the presence of moderate hyperoxia. RelA, RelB, ASK1, TNF-α and SC expressions were significantly higher in the 85% O2 group in comparison with the control group and the 40% O2 group. In the 40% O2 group, RelA, RelB, ASK1 and TNF-α were upregulated, but SC expression was not significantly different than that of the control group. However, compared with the 85% O2 group, SC expression was significantly lower in the 40% O2 group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that moderate hyperoxia promotes proliferation in NHBE cells and activates TNF-α and downstream ASK1. Then TNF-α activates NF-κB and SC to play a protective role.

Transcription of mcrA Gene Decreases Upon Prolonged Non-flooding Period in a Methanogenic Archaeal Community of a Paddy-Upland Rotational Field Soil.

Methanogenic archaea survive under aerated soil conditions in paddy fields, and their community is stable under these conditions. Changes in the abundance and composition of an active community of methanogenic archaea were assessed by analyzing mcrA gene (encoding α subunit of methyl-coenzyme M reductase) and transcripts during a prolonged drained period in a paddy-upland rotational field. Paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) was planted in the flooded field and rotated with soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) under upland soil conditions. Soil samples were collected from the rotational plot in the first year, with paddy rice, and in the two successive years, with soybean, at six time points, before seeding, during cultivation, and after harvest as well as from a consecutive paddy (control) plot. By the time that soybean was grown in the second year, the methanogenic archaeal community in the rotational plot maintained high mcrA transcript levels, comparable with those of the control plot community, but the levels drastically decreased by over three orders of magnitude after 2 years of upland conversion. The composition of active methanogenic archaeal communities that survived upland conversion in the rotational plot was similar to that of the active community in the control plot. These results revealed that mcrA gene transcription of methanogenic archaeal community in the rotational field was affected by a prolonged non-flooding period, longer than 1 year, indicating that unknown mechanisms maintain the stability of methanogenic archaeal community in paddy fields last up to 1 year after the onset of drainage.

Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside Delayed Senile Symptoms in Old Mice via Regulation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Cascade.

BACKGROUND: Tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) is a main bioactive component of Polygonum multiflorum, a traditional Chinese medicine known for certain anti-aging effects. Since TSG has been found to extend lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we hypothesized that TSG might produce anti-aging benefits in mammals. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the anti-aging potential of TSG and to explore its relative molecular mechanism. METHODS: Mice were maintained on standard diet, high-calorie diet (HC), or high-calorie plus TSG diet. Survival rates and body weight changes were recorded weekly. Rotarod analysis was performed to assess the physical fitness of mice. Bone mineral density was assessed using micro-computed tomography. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used for the histological examination of heart, liver, and kidney pathology. The mRNA and protein expression of target genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Mitotracker deep red staining and high-content analysis were used to quantify cellular mitochondrial mass and function. RESULTS: In this study, we found that TSG improved the physiology of aged mice consuming excess calories and delayed senile symptoms. The anti-aging benefits of TSG were mediated at least in part by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling cascade, leading to significant improvement in motor function, bone mineral density, HC-induced organ pathology, and mitochondrial function. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that TSG could be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of aging- and high-calorie intake-associated disorders.

Extraction and purification of total flavonoids from pine needles of Cedrus deodara contribute to anti-tumor in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Cedrus deodara is one of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs that exhibits a line of biological activities. The current study extracted the total flavonoids from the pine needles of Cedrus deodara (TFPNCD), and investigated its anti-cancer effects in tumor cell lines. METHODS: The total flavonoids was extracted from pine needles of Cedrus deodara by ethanol hot refluxing and purified by HPD722 macroporous resin. The contents of total flavonoids and the active ingredients of TFPNCD were analyzed through UV and HPLC. MTT assay was used to investigate its inhibitory effect on tumor cell lines. The flow cytometry was employed to determine the apoptosis and cell cycle distribution after treated TFPNCD on HepG2 cells. RESULTS: The TFPNCD, in which the contents of total flavonoid reached up to 54.28 %, and the major ingredients of myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin in TFPNCD were 1.89, 2.01, 2.94 and 1.22 mg/g, respectively. The MTT assays demonstrated that TFPNCD inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with the IC50 values of 114.12 µg/mL. By comparison, TFPNCD inhibited the proliferation to a less extent in human cervical carcinoma HeLa, gastric cancer MKN28 cells, glioma SHG-44 cells and lung carcinoma A549 than HepG2 cells. We found that even at the lower doses, the total flavonoids effectively inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Comparison of IC50 values implicated that HepG2 cells might be more sensitive to the treatment with total flavonoids. TFPNCD was able to increase the population of HepG2 cells in G0 /G1 phase. Meanwhile, TFPNCD treatment increased the percentage of apoptotic HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: These data suggested that TFPNCD might have therapeutic potential in cancer through the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis.

Constituents from Polygonatum sibiricum and their inhibitions on the formation of advanced glycosylation end products.

A new saponin, isonarthogenin 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-ß-d-galactopyranoside (1), together with twelve known compounds, were isolated from the rhizomes of Polygonatum sibiricum. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by analysis of their 1D/2D NMR and MS data. Among them, phenol compounds 4-7 and 9-10 showed significant inhibitions against the formation of advanced glycosylation end products, with IC50 values of 0.091 ± 0.0021, 0.10 ± 0.041, 0.014 ± 0.0027, 0.11 ± 0.011, 0.13 ± 0.045, and 0.055 ± 0.019 µM, respectively. The results will promote exploiting potential medicinal use of these compounds in the prevention of diabetic complications and supporting Polygonatum sibiricum as a functional food for healthy and medicinal diet.

[Anti-aging traditional Chinese medicine： potential mechanisms involving AMPK pathway and calorie restriction based on "medicine-food homology" theory].

There have been many reports about the anti-aging effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), but the material basis and mechanism of action have not been clearly elucidated. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the receptor of energy metabolism and its life extending effect has been confirmed in different experiments. Over expression or activation with metform in of AAK-2/AMPK has been shown to extend life expectancy in nematodes and Drosophila. The possible downstream pathways of AMPK against aging include TOR/S6k pathway, FOXOs pathway and CRTC pathway. One of the core concepts of traditional Chinese medicine is disease prevention, for which one of manifestations is to improve the body with the same source of medicine and food to achieve longevity. It is possible to activate AMPK to achieve the goal of health preservation and prolonging the life by some of the "medicine-food harmony" treatments. Our survey finds that in "medicine-food harmony" compound TCM, "invigorating the kidney deficiency and promoting blood circulation" class dominates and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix Rhizoma, Astragali Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma, Poria, Atractylodes Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, and Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma are used in high frequency. Network pharmacology analysis using ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software revealed that TCM-derived drugs interacting with AMPK target proteins included berberine, emodin, curcumin, resveratrol, alcohol, cordyceps, arctiin, suggesting in a certain extent the feasibility of "medicine -food homology" drugs to extend the lifespan through the AMPK pathway. Our study combines a comprehensive database query and an IPA network pharmacology analysis to identify Chinese medicine monomer and components that may activate AMPK pathway to delay aging and to discuss the potential of these medicine by improving energy metabolism to delay the aging process, based on the concept of traditional Chinese medicine "medicine-food homology".

Effect of paddy-upland rotation on methanogenic archaeal community structure in paddy field soil.

Methanogenic archaea are strict anaerobes and demand highly reduced conditions to produce methane in paddy field soil. However, methanogenic archaea survive well under upland and aerated conditions in paddy fields and exhibit stable community. In the present study, methanogenic archaeal community was investigated in fields where paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) under flooded conditions was rotated with soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) under upland conditions at different rotation histories, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and real-time quantitative PCR methods targeting 16S rRNA and mcrA genes, respectively. Soil samples collected from the fields before flooding or seeding, during crop cultivation and after harvest of crops were analyzed. The abundance of the methanogenic archaeal populations decreased to about one-tenth in the rotational plots than in the consecutive paddy (control) plots. The composition of the methanogenic archaeal community also changed. Most members of the methanogenic archaea consisting of the orders Methanosarcinales, Methanocellales, Methanomicrobiales, and Methanobacteriales existed autochthonously in both the control and rotational plots, while some were strongly affected in the rotational plots, with fatal effect to some members belonging to the Methanosarcinales. This study revealed that the upland conversion for one or longer than 1 year in the rotational system affected the methanogenic archaeal community structure and was fatal to some members of methanogenic archaea in paddy field soil.

(Ti/Zr,N) codoped hematite for enhancing the photoelectrochemical activity of water splitting.

In this theoretical study, first-principles calculations were carried out to explore the photocatalytic activity of cation (Ti or Zr) and anion (N) compensated codoped hematite based on density functional theory (DFT). For (Ti/Zr,N) codoped hematite, the band edges of the conduction band and the valence band move close to each other, leading to an obvious bandgap reduction. Compared with the pure hematite, the optical absorption coefficient of codoped hematite is significantly enhanced in the visible light region. The charge distribution at the conduction band minimum (CBM) and valence band maximum (VBM) is spatially separated after codoping, which is beneficial for extending the carrier lifetime. More interestingly, the CBM becomes electronically delocalized in (Ti,N) doped hematite, which indicates better carrier transport properties in the bulk system. Due to these special features of (Ti/Zr,N) codoped hematite, an improved photocatalytic performance can be expected.

A Pkd1-Fbn1 genetic interaction implicates TGF-ß signaling in the pathogenesis of vascular complications in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common cause of renal failure that is due to mutations in two genes, PKD1 and PKD2. Vascular complications, including aneurysms, are a well recognized feature of ADPKD, and a subgroup of families exhibits traits reminiscent of Marfan syndrome (MFS). MFS is caused by mutations in fibrillin-1 (FBN1), which encodes an extracellular matrix protein with homology to latent TGF-ß binding proteins. It was recently demonstrated that fibrillin-1 deficiency is associated with upregulation of TGF-ß signaling. We investigated the overlap between ADPKD and MFS by breeding mice with targeted mutations in Pkd1 and Fbn1. Double heterozygotes displayed an exacerbation of the typical Fbn1 heterozygous aortic phenotype. We show that the basis of this genetic interaction results from further upregulation of TGF-ß signaling caused by Pkd1 haploinsufficiency. In addition, we demonstrate that loss of PKD1 alone is sufficient to induce a heightened responsiveness to TGF-ß. Our data link the interaction of two important diseases to a fundamental signaling pathway.

A rice gene for microbial symbiosis, Oryza sativa CCaMK, reduces CH4 flux in a paddy field with low nitrogen input.

Plants have mutualistic symbiotic relationships with rhizobia and fungi by the common symbiosis pathway, of which Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (encoded by CCaMK) is a central component. Although Oryza sativa CCaMK (OsCCaMK) is required for fungal accommodation in rice roots, little is known about the role of OsCCaMK in rice symbiosis with bacteria. Here, we report the effect of a Tos17-induced OsCCaMK mutant (NE1115) on CH4 flux in low-nitrogen (LN) and standard-nitrogen (SN) paddy fields compared with wild-type (WT) Nipponbare. The growth of NE1115 was significantly decreased compared with that of the WT, especially in the LN field. The CH4 flux of NE1115 in the LN field was significantly greater (156 to 407% in 2011 and 170 to 816% in 2012) than that of the WT, although no difference was observed in the SN field. The copy number of pmoA (encodes methane monooxygenase in methanotrophs) was significantly higher in the roots and rhizosphere soil of the WT than in those of NE1115. However, the mcrA (encodes methyl coenzyme M reductase in methanogens) copy number did not differ between the WT and NE1115. These results were supported by a (13)C-labeled CH4-feeding experiment. In addition, the natural abundance of (15)N in WT shoots (3.05‰) was significantly lower than in NE1115 shoots (3.45‰), suggesting greater N2 fixation in the WT because of dilution with atmospheric N2 (0.00‰). Thus, CH4 oxidation and N2 fixation were simultaneously activated in the root zone of WT rice in the LN field and both processes are likely controlled by OsCCaMK.

Organochlorine pesticide contamination in marine organisms of Yantai coast, northern Yellow Sea of China.

To evaluate the contamination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in marine organisms and their potential health risk on consumers in the northern Yellow Sea of China, mollusks, wild shrimps, and crabs were collected from the Yantai coast, and the OCP contents in the samples were analyzed and compared. The results indicate that all the samples have been contaminated by OCPs, and OCP concentrations varied in individual species and in sampling sites. Among the studied OCPs, ∑HCH and ∑DDT concentrations ranged from 0.91 to 13.92 ng g(-1) and from 10.16 to 411.19 ng g(-1), respectively. Meretrix was highly enriched with HCHs, while the highest DDT concentration was found in Crassostrea. For the OCP isomers, ß-HCH was the predominant isomer of HCHs, and p,p'-DDE concentration was much higher than other isomers of DDTs. The concentrations of other OCPs (HCB, t-CHL, endrin, and mirex) were relatively low. For the shrimp and crab samples, Alpheus distinguendus samples accumulated a higher level of HCHs but lower DDTs than Oratosquilla aratoria and Carcinoplax vestitus in all sampling areas. HCHs in the samples of contrast area were not significantly lower than that of the sewage outfall area and port area, whereas DDTs in the samples of contrast area were relatively lower than that of the other two areas. Generally, all the OCP contents in the samples are in the range of the edible hygienic criteria except the total concentration of DDTs in Crassostrea.