Higher temperature variability in deforested mountain regions impacts the competitive advantage of nocturnal species.

Deforestation is a major contributor to biodiversity loss, yet the impact of forest loss on daily microclimate variability and its implications for species with different daily activity patterns remain poorly understood. Using a recently developed microclimate model, we investigated the effects of deforestation on the daily temperature range (DTR) in low-elevation tropical regions and high-elevation temperate regions. Our results show that deforestation substantially increases DTR in these areas, suggesting a potential impact on species interactions. To test this hypothesis, we studied the competitive interactions between nocturnal burying beetles and all-day-active blowfly maggots in forested and deforested habitats in Taiwan. We show that deforestation leads to increased DTR at higher elevations, which enhances the competitiveness of blowfly maggots during the day and leads to a higher failure rate of carcass burial by the beetles at night. Thus, deforestation-induced temperature variability not only modulates exploitative competition between species with different daily activity patterns, but also likely exacerbates the negative impacts of climate change on nocturnal organisms. In order to limit potential adverse effects on species interactions and their ecological functions, our study highlights the need to protect forests, especially in areas where deforestation can greatly alter temperature variability.

Glutamine synthetase licenses APC/C-mediated mitotic progression to drive cell growth.

Tumors can reprogram the functions of metabolic enzymes to fuel malignant growth; however, beyond their conventional functions, key metabolic enzymes have not been found to directly govern cell mitosis. Here, we report that glutamine synthetase (GS) promotes cell proliferation by licensing mitotic progression independently of its metabolic function. GS depletion, but not impairment of its enzymatic activity, results in mitotic arrest and multinucleation across multiple lung and liver cancer cell lines, patient-derived organoids and xenografted tumors. Mechanistically, GS directly interacts with the nuclear pore protein NUP88 to prevent its binding to CDC20. Such interaction licenses activation of the CDC20-mediated anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome to ensure proper metaphase-to-anaphase transition. In addition, GS is overexpressed in human non-small cell lung cancer and its depletion reduces tumor growth in mice and increases the efficacy of microtubule-targeted chemotherapy. Our findings highlight a moonlighting function of GS in governing mitosis and illustrate how an essential metabolic enzyme promotes cell proliferation and tumor development, beyond its main metabolic function.

Author Correction: Locally-adapted reproductive photoperiodism determines population vulnerability to climate change in burying beetles.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Locally-adapted reproductive photoperiodism determines population vulnerability to climate change in burying beetles.

Understanding how phenotypic traits vary among populations inhabiting different environments is critical for predicting a species' vulnerability to climate change. Yet, little is known about the key functional traits that determine the distribution of populations and the main mechanisms-phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation-underlying intraspecific functional trait variation. Using the Asian burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis, we demonstrate that mountain ranges differing in elevation and latitude offer unique thermal environments in which two functional traits-thermal tolerance and reproductive photoperiodism-interact to shape breeding phenology. We show that populations on different mountain ranges maintain similar thermal tolerances, but differ in reproductive photoperiodism. Through common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments, we confirm that reproductive photoperiodism is locally adapted and not phenotypically plastic. Accordingly, year-round breeding populations on mountains of intermediate elevation are likely to be most susceptible to future warming because maladaptation occurs when beetles try to breed at warmer temperatures.

In vitro modulation of mercury-induced rat liver mitochondria dysfunction.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic environmental pollutant that exerts its cytotoxic effects as cations by targeting mitochondria. In our work, we determined different mitochondrial toxicity factors using specific substrates and inhibitors following the addition of Hg2+ to the mitochondria isolated from Wistar rat liver in vitro. We found that Hg2+ induced marked changes in the mitochondrial ultrastructure accompanied by mitochondrial swelling, mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, mitochondrial membrane fluidity increase and Cytochrome c release. Additionally, the effects of Hg2+ on heat production of mitochondria were investigated using microcalorimetry; simultaneously, the effects on mitochondrial respiration were determined by Clark oxygen-electric methods. Microcalorimetry could provide detailed kinetic and thermodynamic information which demonstrated that Hg2+ had some biotoxicity effect on mitochondria. The inhibition of energy metabolic activities suggested that high concentrations of Hg2+ could induce mitochondrial ATP depletion under MPT and mitochondrial respiration inhibition. These results help us learn more about the toxicity of Hg2+ at the subcellular level.

Efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided laparoscopic RFA in the treatment of hepatic hemangioma / 中国现代普通外科进展

Objective:To evaluate the laparoscopic joint comeback guided radiofrequency ablation for hepatic hemangioma clinical application and evaluation of efficacy and safety.Methods:The clinical data were treated from August 2010 to August 2015 period 81 cases of hepatic hemangioma (HCH) patients analyzed.Patients met the inclusion criteria were divided into 33 cases of laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation(LRFA) group,laparoscopic resection(LR) group 22 cases,26 cases of open surgery group.Changes were detected before and after surgery of liver function;record the operation time and hospital stay,blood loss,postoperative complications and compared.Results:Effect of three groups of liver function are transient in nature.LRFA complication rate (15.2％) was significantly lower than the LR group (36.4％) and surgical resection group (50.0％),the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05.Open surgery operative time,hospital stay was significantly longer than the other two groups;and LRFA group of patients had no bleeding,no blood transfusion cases,significantly lower than the LR and open surgical resection group.Conclusion:LRFA treatment HCH,both advantages and laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation,combined with joint endoscopic ultrasonic guidance makes it more secure and less complications,is a safe and effective method of treatment of hepatic hemangioma,worthy of promotion.

Diagnosis and treatment of solid-pseudopapillary tumor of pancreas / 中国现代普通外科进展

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics,imaging features,biological characteristics,treatment and prognosis of solid-pseudopapillary tumor of pancreas(SPT).Methods:Retrospectively reviewed and analyzed clinical and pathological data of 49 cases of SPT from 2007.3 to 2017.3.Results:Among 49 SPT patients,11 males and 38 females,male-to-female ratio was 1∶3.5,with a mean age of (31.4 ± 13.2)years old.There was nonspecific symptoms among patients.Preoperative imaging help to determine the location of the tumor and make the correct diagnosis,but the nature of the tumor remains to be pathologically confirmed.All of patients renceived surgery,47 patients were treated by radical tumor resection,21 patients presented with postoperative complications,the most common complication was pancreatic fistula.Conclusion:Solid pseudopapillary tumor(SPT) is a rare low grade malignancy more frequent in young women with non-specific clinical characteristics.Preoperative imaging has important significance in the preoperative and differential diagnosis.Most of patients can receive radical resection and have good prognosis.

Asymmetric synthesis of heteroaryl atropisomers via a gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization-amination cascade reaction.

The chiral gold(i) complex enables enantioselective cycloisomerization-amination of 2-(alkynyl)phenyl boronic acids and diazenes in high yields. A wide scope of substrates bearing various functional groups was tolerated to generate structurally different hydrazide derivatives as a new type of atropisomer.