In Situ Induced Interface Engineering in Hierarchical Fe3O4 Enhances Performance for Alkaline Solid-State Energy Storage.

Rechargeable aqueous batteries adopting Fe-based materials are attracting widespread attention by virtue of high-safety and low-cost. However, the present Fe-based anodes suffer from low electronic/ionic conductivity and unsatisfactory comprehensive performance, which greatly restrict their practicability. Concerning the principle of physical chemistry, fabricating electrodes that could simultaneously achieve ideal thermodynamics and fast kinetics is a promising issue. Herein, hierarchical Fe3O4@Fe foam electrode with enhanced interface/grain boundary engineering is fabricated through an in situ self-regulated strategy. The electrode achieves ultrahigh areal capacity of 31.45 mA h cm-2 (50 mA cm-2), good scale application potential (742.54 mA h for 25 cm2 electrode), satisfied antifluctuation capability, and excellent cycling stability. In/ex situ characterizations further validate the desired thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the electrode endowed with accurate interface regulation, which accounts for salient electrochemical reversibility in a two-stage phase transition and slight energy loss. This work offers a suitable strategy in designing high-performance Fe-based electrodes with comprehensive inherent characteristics for high-safety large-scale energy storage.

Dietary potential of the symbiotic fungus Penicillium herquei for the larvae of a nonsocial fungus-cultivating weevil Euops chinensis.

Many insect taxa cultivate fungi for food. Compared to well-known fungus cultivation in social insects, our knowledge on fungus cultivation in nonsocial insects is still limited. Here, we studied the nutritional potentials of the fungal cultivar, Penicillium herquei, for the larvae of its nonsocial insect farmer, Euops chinensis, a specialist on Japanese knotweed Reynoutria japonica. Overall, fungal hyphae and leaf rolls contained significantly higher carbon (C), stable isotopes of C (δ13C), and nitrogen (δ15N) but significantly lower C/N ratios compared to unrolled leaves, whereas insect bodies contained significantly higher N contents but lower C and C/N ratios compared to other types of samples. The MixSIAR model indicated that fungal hyphae contributed a larger proportion (0.626-0.797) to the diet of E. chinensis larvae than leaf materials. The levels of ergosterol, six essential amino acids, seven nonessential amino acids, and three B vitamins tested in fungal hyphae and/or leaf rolls were significantly higher than in unrolled leaves and/or larvae. The P. herquei genome contains the complete set of genes required for the biosynthesis of ergosterol, the essential amino acids valine and threonine, nine nonessential amino acids, and vitamins B2 and B3, whereas some genes associated with five essential and one nonessential amino acid were lost in the P. herquei genome. These suggest that P. herquei is capable of providing the E. chinensis larvae food with ergosterol, amino acids, and B vitamins. P. herquei appears to be able to synthesize or concentrate these nutrients considering that they were specifically concentrated in fungal hyphae. IMPORTANCE: The cultivation of fungi for food has occurred across divergent insect lineages such as social ants, termites, and ambrosia beetles, as well as some seldom-reported solitary insects. Although the fungal cultivars of these insects have been studied for decades, the dietary potential of fungal cultivars for their hosts (especially for those nonsocial insects) is largely unknown. Our research on the mutualistic system Euops chinensis-Penicillium herquei represents an example of the diverse nutritional potentials of the fungal cultivar P. herquei in the diet of the larvae of its solitary host, E. chinensis. These results demonstrate that P. herquei has the potential to synthesize or concentrate ergosterol, amino acids, and B vitamins and benefits the larvae of E. chinensis. Our findings would shed light on poorly understood fungal cultivation mutualisms in nonsocial insects and underscore the nutritional importance of fungal cultivars in fungal cultivation mutualisms.

How Can the Trust-Change Direction be Measured and Identified During Takeover Transitions in Conditionally Automated Driving? Using Physiological Responses and Takeover-Related Factors.

OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes an objective method to measure and identify trust-change directions during takeover transitions (TTs) in conditionally automated vehicles (AVs). BACKGROUND: Takeover requests (TORs) will be recurring events in conditionally automated driving that could undermine trust, and then lead to inappropriate reliance on conditionally AVs, such as misuse and disuse. METHOD: 34 drivers engaged in the non-driving-related task were involved in a sequence of takeover events in a driving simulator. The relationships and effects between drivers' physiological responses, takeover-related factors, and trust-change directions during TTs were explored by the combination of an unsupervised learning algorithm and statistical analyses. Furthermore, different typical machine learning methods were applied to establish recognition models of trust-change directions during TTs based on takeover-related factors and physiological parameters. RESULT: Combining the change values in the subjective trust rating and monitoring behavior before and after takeover can reliably measure trust-change directions during TTs. The statistical analysis results showed that physiological parameters (i.e., skin conductance and heart rate) during TTs are negatively linked with the trust-change directions. And drivers were more likely to increase trust during TTs when they were in longer TOR lead time, with more takeover frequencies, and dealing with the stationary vehicle scenario. More importantly, the F1-score of the random forest (RF) model is nearly 77.3%. CONCLUSION: The features investigated and the RF model developed can identify trust-change directions during TTs accurately. APPLICATION: Those findings can provide additional support for developing trust monitoring systems to mitigate both drivers' overtrust and undertrust in conditionally AVs.

GB1a Activates SIRT6 to Regulate Lipid Metabolism in Mouse Primary Hepatocytes.

Lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation in hepatocytes are features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Garcinia biflavonoid 1a (GB1a) is a natural product capable of hepatic protection. In this study, the effect of GB1a on anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and regulation of the accumulation in HepG2 cells and mouse primary hepatocytes (MPHs) was investigated, and its regulatory mechanism was further explored. The result showed that GB1a reduced triglyceride (TG) content and lipid accumulation by regulating the expression of SREBP-1c and PPARα; GB1a reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and improved cellular oxidative stress to protect mitochondrial morphology by regulating genes Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, and Keap1; and GB1a reduced the damage of hepatocytes by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65. The activities of GB1a were lost in liver SIRT6-specific knockout mouse primary hepatocytes (SIRT6-LKO MPHs). This indicated that activating SIRT6 was critical for GB1a to perform its activity, and GB1a acted as an agonist of SIRT6. It was speculated that GB1a may be a potential drug for NAFLD treatment.

Long Circulating Cancer Cell-Targeted Bionic Nanocarriers Enable Synergistic Combinatorial Therapy in Colon Cancer.

Cancer nanomedicine treatment aims to achieve highly specific targeting and localization to cancer cells. Coating of nanoparticles with cell membranes endows them with homologous cellular mimicry, enabling nanoparticles to acquire new functions and properties, including homologous targeting and long circulation in vivo, and can enhance internalization by homologous cancer cells. Herein, we fused a human-derived HCT116 colon cancer cell membrane (cM) with a red blood cell membrane (rM) to fabricate an erythrocyte-cancer cell hybrid membrane (hM). Oxaliplatin and chlorin e6 (Ce6) co-encapsulated reactive oxygen species-responsive nanoparticles (NPOC) were camouflaged by hM and obtained a hybrid biomimetic nanomedicine (denoted as hNPOC) for colon cancer therapy. hNPOC exhibited prolonged circulation time and recognized homologous targeting ability in vivo since both rM and HCT116 cM proteins were maintained on the hNPOC surface. hNPOC showed enhanced homologous cell uptake in vitro and considerable homologous self-localization in vivo, producing effective synergistic chemophotodynamic therapy efficacy under irradiation with a homologous HCT116 tumor compared to that with a heterologous tumor. Together, the biomimetic hNPOC nanoparticles showed prolonged blood circulation and preferential cancer cell-targeted function in vivo to provide a bioinspired strategy for chemophotodynamic synergistic therapy of colon cancer.

Genome analysis and genomic comparison of a fungal cultivar of the nonsocial weevil Euops chinensis reveals its plant decomposition and protective roles in fungus-farming mutualism.

Fungus-farming mutualisms are models for studying co-evolutionary among species. Compared to well-documented fungus-farming in social insects, the molecular aspects of fungus-farming mutualisms in nonsocial insects have been poorly explored. Euops chinensis is a solitary leaf-rolling weevil feeding on Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). This pest has evolved a special proto-farming bipartite mutualism with the fungus Penicillium herquei, which provide nutrition and defensive protection for the E. chinensis larvae. Here, the genome of P. herquei was sequenced, and the structure and specific gene categories in the P. herquei genome were then comprehensively compared with the other two well-studied Penicillium species (P. decumbens and P. chrysogenum). The assembled P. herquei genome had a 40.25 Mb genome size with 46.7% GC content. A diverse set of genes associating with carbohydrate-active enzymes, cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, transporter, and terpenoid biosynthesis were detected in the P. herquei genome. Comparative genomics demonstrate that the three Penicillium species show similar metabolic and enzymatic potential, however, P. herquei has more genes associated with plant biomass degradation and defense but less genes associating with virulence pathogenicity. Our results provide molecular evidence for plant substrate breakdown and protective roles of P. herquei in E. chinensis mutualistic system. Large metabolic potential shared by Penicillium species at the genus level may explain why some Penicillium species are recruited by the Euops weevils as crop fungi.

Root Metabolism and Effects of Root Exudates on the Growth of Ralstonia solanacearum and Fusarium moniliforme Were Significantly Different between the Two Genotypes of Peanuts.

Wild peanut species Arachis correntina (A. correntina) had a higher continuous cropping tolerance than peanut cultivars, closely correlating with the regulatory effects of its root exudates on soil microorganisms. To reveal the resistance mechanism of A. correntina to pathogens, we adopted transcriptomic and metabolomics approaches to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) between A. correntina and peanut cultivar Guihua85 (GH85) under hydroponic conditions. Interaction experiments of peanut root exudates with Ralstonia solanacearum (R. solanacearum) and Fusarium moniliforme (F. moniliforme) were carried out in this study. The result of transcriptome and metabolomics association analysis showed that there were fewer up-regulated DEGs and DEMs in A. correntina compared with GH85, which were closely associated with the metabolism of amino acids and phenolic acids. Root exudates of GH85 had stronger effects on promoting the growth of R. solanacearum and F. moniliforme than those of A. correntina under 1 and 5 percent volume (1% and 5%) of root exudates treatments. Thirty percent volume (30%) of A. correntina and GH85 root exudates significantly inhibited the growth of two pathogens. The exogenous amino acids and phenolic acids influenced R. solanacearum and F. moniliforme showing concentration effects from growth promotion to inhibition as with the root exudates. In conclusion, the greater resilience of A. correntina) to changes in metabolic pathways for amino acids and phenolic acids might aid in the repression of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Burden of Malaria in Sao Tome and Principe, 1990-2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

Background: Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquito vectors, commonly found in tropical regions, and characterized by high morbidity and mortality. It causes a heavy disease burden in Sao Tome and Principe (STP), an island country in West Africa which at one time had a high incidence of malaria. Objective: This study aims to analyze the trend of disease burden of malaria in STP. Methods: The crude and age-standardized incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate data of malaria were extracted from GBD 2019. Joinpoint 4.9 software was used to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) and the average annual percentage change (AAPC), which were also used to indicate the change in disease burden by different stages. Results: In general, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) of malaria presented a decreasing trend between 1990 and 2019, with an average annual decrease of 5.6%, 6.2%, and 10.7%, respectively, in STP. Specifically, all indicators first presented an increasing trend from 1990 to about 2000, followed by a decreasing trend until 2019, although the incidence rebounded slightly after 2015. Overall, the ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR of malaria reduced by 77.08%, 87.84%, and 82.21%, respectively, in 2019 as compared to 1990. No significant differences in disease burden were found between males and females between 2005 and 2019. Children who were under 5 years old showed a relatively small decrease in the rate of DALYs as compared to other age groups, but remained the group with the highest disease burden of malaria in the country. Conclusions: The disease burden of malaria in STP showed a significant decrease between 1990 and 2019, but it will still be challenging to achieve the goal of eliminating malaria by 2025. The government and relevant authorities should aim to strengthen the prevention and surveillance of malaria and tailor population-specific interventions in order to reduce the disease burden of malaria in STP.

Polymorphisms in the K13-Propeller Gene in Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium in Mice.

Introduction: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) act as first-line antimalarial drugs and play a crucial role in the successful control of falciparum malaria. However, the recent emergence of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to ACTs in South East Asia is of particular concern. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify the genetic determinants of and understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning such resistance. Artemisinin resistance (AR) is primarily driven by the mutations in the P. falciparum K13 protein, which is widely recognized as the major molecular marker of AR. However, association of K13 mutations with in vivo AR has been ambiguous due to the absence of a tractable model. Methods: In this study, we have successfully produced artemisinin- and piperaquine-resistant P. berghei K173 following drug administrations. Prolonged parasite clearance and early recrudescence were found following daily exposure to high doses of artemisinin and piperaquine. We have also sequenced the DNA of artemisinin-resistant strains and piperaquine-resistant strains of P. berghei K173 to explore the relationship between PfK13 and AR. Results: The resistance index of P. berghei K173 reached 12.4 after 30 artemisinin-resistant generations, but AR declined gradually after 30 generations. On the 50th generation, the resistance index of artemisinin-resistant strains was only 5.0 compared with the severe drug resistance of piperaquine-resistant strains (I90=148.8). DNA sequencing of artemisinin-resistant strains showed that there were 9 meaningful mutations at P. berghei K13-propeller domain, but the above mutations did not include common clinical point mutations. Conclusion: Our data show that artemisinin is less susceptible to severe resistance compared with other antimalarial drugs. In addition, mutation on P. berghei K13 has a multi-drug-resistant phenotype and may be used as a biomarker to monitor its resistance. More studies need to be conducted on the new mutations detected so as to understand their association, if any, with ACT resistance.

RNA-seq-based transcriptome analysis of the anti-inflammatory effect of artesunate in the early treatment of the mouse cerebral malaria model.

BACKGROUND: cerebral malaria (CM) is an important complication of malaria with a high mortality rate. Artesunate is recommended as the first-line artemisinin compound treatment for severe malaria. Due to the difficulty of obtaining brain tissue samples clinically, the use of animals to research host responses to CM parasite infections is necessary. Rodent malaria models allow for detailed time series studies of host responses in multiple organs. To date, studies on the transcriptome of severe malaria are only limited to the parasites in the peripheral blood of patients, and there is little data on the transcriptional changes in brain tissue in mice with CM treated with artesunate. METHOD AND RESULT: in this study, fresh tissue samples (three biological replicates per mouse) from the same area of the brain in each animal were collected from the uninfected, Plasmodium berghei ANKA-infected and artesunate-treated C57BL/6 mice, and then transcriptome research was performed by the RNA-seq technique. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) included Il-21, Tnf, Il-6, Il-1ß, Il-10, Ifng, and Icam-1. Among which, Il-6, Il-10, Tnf-α and Il-1ß were further verified and validated via qRT-PCR and ELISA. This revealed that Il-1ß (p < 0.0001), Il-10 (p < 0.05) and Tnf-α (p < 0.05) were significantly up-regulated in the Pb ANKA-infected versus uninfected group, while Il-1ß (p < 0.0001) and Tnf-α (p < 0.05) were significantly down-regulated after artesunate treatment. All DEGs were closely related to the top 3 artesunate treatment pathways, including the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, apoptosis, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: the mechanism of improving the prognosis of cerebral malaria by artesunate may not only involve the killing of plasmodium but also the inhibition of a cytokine storm in the host. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism by which artesunate improves the prognosis of cerebral malaria.

Arsenic extraction from seriously contaminated paddy soils with ferrihydrite-loaded sand columns.

Reductive dissolution of iron oxides in flooded paddy soils is the most important cause of arsenic (As) release into soil aqueous solution and thus entry into rice. From the perspective of soil cleanup, however, As release under flooded condition could facilitate labile As removal. In this study, a porous column pre-loaded with ferrihydrite (Fh) was constructed, and its efficiency of soil As extraction was investigated using a purpose-designed mesocosm coupled with diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) for in situ visualization. With Fh-column deployed in aqueous solution, >90% removal of As(III) was achieved within 5 days at initial As (100 mg L-1) of two orders of magnitude higher than in most paddy soil solutions (1-1538 µg L-1). By applying Fh-column in a seriously contaminated paddy soil (102 mg As kg-1), porewater As showed stepwise decreases from 2727 µg L-1 to 129-1455 µg L-1 at a distance-dependent manner over four intermittent extractions during 91 days. Soil DGT-As exhibited similar spatiotemporal changes to porewater As. After four extractions, 17.8% of total soil As was removed by Fh-column in a 10 cm radius range on average and ∼1/3 of As bound to amorphous and crystalline Fe/Al oxides was depleted, which accounted for 88.7% of decline in total soil As. With the post-extracted soil, a 48% lower As accumulation in rice seedlings and a 65% decline in bulk soil DGT-As were attained. This study provides a conceptual foundation for rapid removal of high soluble As by Fh-columns from flooded soils, improving seriously As-contaminated paddies to sustainable resources for safe food production.

Protective effect of valerian extract capsule (VEC) on ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric mucosa injury and ameliorative effect of VEC on gastrointestinal motility disorder.

CONTEXT: Valerian extract capsule (VEC) is an effective Chinese patent medicine used for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the detailed pharmacological activity for VEC clinical effects in GI diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: control, model, and drug-treated (VEC-L, VEC-M, VEC-H, and teprenone). Rats were orally administered VEC (124, 248, 496 mg/kg) and teprenone (21.43 mg/kg) for 3 consecutive days. After 1 h, the five groups (except the control group) were orally given ethanol (10 mL/kg) for 1 h or indomethacin (80 mg/kg) for 7 h. The spasmolytic activity of VEC (0.01-1 mg/mL) on ACh/BaCl2-induced New Zealand rabbit smooth muscle contraction was performed. The C57BL/6 mice carbon propelling test evaluated the effects of VEC (248-992 mg/kg) on intestinal motility in normal and neostigmine/adrenaline-induced mice. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, VEC treatment reduced the gastric lesion index and mucosal damage. Further experiments showed that the pathological ameliorative effect of VEC was accompanied by augmentation of the enzymatic antioxidant system and cytoprotective marker (COX-1, p < 0.01; PGI2 p < 0.05;), along with the alleviation of the levels of MPO (ethanol: 15.56 ± 0.82 vs. 12.15 ± 2.60, p < 0.01; indomethacin: 9.65 ± 3.06 vs. 6.36 ± 2.43, p < 0.05), MDA (ethanol: 1.66 ± 0.44 vs. 0.81 ± 0.58, p < 0.01; indomethacin: 1.71 ± 0.87 vs. 1.09 ± 0.43, p < 0.05), and inflammatory mediators. VEC decreased the high tone induced by ACh/BaCl2 and promoted intestinal transit in normal and neostigmine/adrenaline-induced mice. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: VEC showed a potential gastroprotective effect, suggesting that VEC is a promising phytomedicine for the treatment of GI diseases.

[Effects of Agasicles hygrophila herbivory on the clonal integration of Alternanthera philoxeroides and A. sessilis]. / èŽ²è‰ç›´èƒ¸è·³ç”²å–é£Ÿå¯¹ç©ºå¿ƒèŽ²å­è‰å’ŒèŽ²å­è‰å ‹éš†æ•´åˆçš„å½±å“.

Many alien invasive plants were clonal species. Examining the relationship between clonal integration characteristics and invasiveness of alien clonal plants is important for clarifying their ecological adaptability and invasion mechanisms. Here, with the invasive plant species Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener A. sessilis as the studying objects, we compared the effects of clonal integration on the growth and the biomass allocation of the apical ramets, basal ramets, and the whole fragment of both species under herbivory by the biocontrol beetle Agasicles hygrophila. The results showed that under herbivory by A. hygrophila, leaf number, stolon length, and ramet number of the apical ramets as well as the ground diameter of the whole fragment of A. philoxeroides were significantly higher under clonal integration treatment compared to that without clonal integration, whereas belowground biomass and total biomass of the basal ramets and the whole fragment of A. philoxeroides were conversely decreased by 78.2%, 60.9 % and 48.7%, 37.2%, respectively, under clonal integration treatment compared to that without clonal integration. Ground diameter of the apical ramets and leaf number of the whole fragment of A. sessilis were significantly higher, but the number of basal ramets was 21.7% lower under clonal integration treatment compared to that without clonal integration. The biomass of the apical ramets, basal ramets, and whole fragment of A. sessilis did not significantly differ between clonal integration and without clonal integration treatments. The results of cost-benefit analysis showed that the ramet number and biomass of the apical ramets of A. philoxeroides as well as the ramet number of the apical ramets of A. sessilis were significantly benefited from clonal integration, but the cost-benefit of the ramet number and biomass of the basal ramets of both species were not affected by clonal integration treatment. These results suggested that clonal integration could partly alleviate herbivory pressure by A. hygrophila on the apical ramets of both species, and that the clonal integration ability of A. philoxeroides was stronger than A. sessilis. However, both species seemed not able to gain significant benefits from cloning integration at the whole fragment level.

Garcinia Biflavonoid 1 Improves Lipid Metabolism in HepG2 Cells via Regulating PPARα.

Garcinia biflavonoid 1 (GB1) is one of the active chemical components of Garcinia kola and is reported to be capable of reducing the intracellular lipid deposition, which is the most significant characteristic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, its bioactive mechanism remains elusive. In the current study, the lipid deposition was induced in HepG2 cells by exposure to oleic acid and palmitic acid (OA&PA), then the effect of GB1 on lipid metabolism and oxidative stress and the role of regulating PPARα in these cells was investigated. We found that GB1 could ameliorate the lipid deposition by reducing triglycerides (TGs) and upregulate the expression of PPARα and SIRT6, suppressing the cell apoptosis by reducing the oxidative stress and the inflammatory factors of ROS, IL10, and TNFα. The mechanism study showed that GB1 had bioactivity in a PPARα-dependent manner based on its failing to improve the lipid deposition and oxidative stress in PPARα-deficient cells. The result revealed that GB1 had significant bioactivity on improving the lipid metabolism, and its potential primary action mechanism suggested that GB1 could be a potential candidate for management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Co3ZnC@NC Material Derived from ZIF-8 for Lithium-Ion Capacitors.

Metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon materials were widely reported as the anodes of lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). However, tunning the structure and electrochemical performance of the MOF-derived carbon materials is still challenging. Herein, metal carbide materials of Co3ZnC@NC-8:2 were obtained by the pyrolysis of the MOF materials of Co0.2Zn0.8ZIF-8 (Zn/Co ratio of 8:2). A half-cell assembled with the Co3ZnC@NC-8:2 electrode exhibits a discharge capacity of the electrode material of 598 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g-1. After 100 cycles, the retention rate of discharge specific capacity is about 90%. The high performance of Co3ZnC@NC-8:2 is ascribed to its high crystalline degree and well-defined structure, which facilitates the intercalation/deintercalation of lithium ions and buffers the volume change during the charge/discharge process. The high capacitance contribution ratio calculated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves at different scanning rates indicates the pseudocapacitance storage mechanism. LICs constructed from the Co3ZnC@NC-8:2 material have a rectangular CV curve, while the charge-discharge curve has a symmetrical triangular shape. This study indicates that MOF-derived carbon is one of the promising materials for high-performance LICs.

[Effects of above- and below-ground herbivore interactions on interspecific relationship between the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener Alternanthera sessilis]. / 地上-åœ°ä¸‹æ¤é£Ÿæ€§å¤©æ•Œå¯¹å ¥ä¾µæ¤ç‰©ç©ºå¿ƒèŽ²å­è‰ä¸Žæœ¬åœ°ç§èŽ²å­è‰ç§é—´å ³ç³»çš„å½±å“.

Biological invasion is a major threat to global biodiversity. The relative interspecific competition abilities of invasive species compared to those native species determine their invasion success. In this study, we examined the effects of the specialist leaf beetle Agasicles hygrophila and the nematode Meloidogyne incognita on the growth and interspecific relationship between the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener A. sessilis. Compared without herbivory, nematode herbivory alone significantly reduced shoot height of A. sessilis by 28.1%, but conversely significantly increased the shoot height of A. philoxeroides by 52.8% and aboveground biomass of A. sessilis by 63.7%. Beetle herbivory alone significantly reduced shoot height of A. sessilis by 40.7%, but did not affect that of A. philoxeroides. The combination of beetle and nematode herbivory significantly reduced shoot height of A. sessilis by 35.3% as well as the belowground biomass of A. philoxeroides by 62.2%, but significantly increased the aboveground biomass of A. sessilis by 69.1%. Herbivore stress did not affect stem diameter, branch number, and root length of both species. The relative neighbor effect index (RNE) of the two species without herbivory were positive, and the RNE value of A. philoxeroides was 21.3% higher than that of A. sessilis. However, the RNE values of A. philoxeroides were negative under all above- and below-ground herbivory treatments. The RNE values of A. sessilis were positive under the beetle or the nematode herbivory alone and negative under the beetle + nematode herbivory combination. These results indicated that above- and below-ground herbivore interactions could change the interspecific relationship between the two species, and in turn might accelerate the invasion of A. philoxeroides.

GB1a Ameliorates Ulcerative Colitis via Regulation of the NF-κB and Nrf2 Signaling Pathways in an Experimental Model.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease. The intake of African Garcinia Kola nuts has been reported as a therapy for diarrhea and dysentery in the African population. However, the mechanism of action through which Garcinia Kola nuts act to ameliorates UC remains unknown. GB1a is the main active component of Garcinia Kola nuts. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanism of GB1a on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC. Human Colonic Epithelial Cells (HCoEpic) were challenged with TNF-α to test the effects of GB1a in protecting against oxidative stress and inflammation in vitro. Our data showed that GB1a significantly attenuated DSS-induced colonic inflammatory injury manifested as reversed loss of body weight and disease activity index (DAI) scores in UC mice. We also showed that GB1a improved the permeability of the intestinal epithelium by modulating the expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, Occludin). Mechanistically, GB1a may activate the Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathway and suppress the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in reduced oxidative stress and expression of inflammatory genes induced by TNF-α in HCoEpic cells. Our study suggests that GB1a alleviates inflammation, oxidative stress and the permeability of the colonic epithelial mucosa in UC mice via the repression of NF-κB and activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Mass Drug Administration With Artemisinin-Piperaquine for the Elimination of Residual Foci of Malaria in São Tomé Island.

Background: Mass drug administration with artemisinin-piperaquine (AP-MDA) is being considered for elimination of residual foci of malaria in Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe. Methods: Three monthly rounds of AP-MDA were implemented from July to October 2019. Four zones were selected. A and B were selected as a study site and a control site, respectively. C and D were located within 1.5 and 1.5 km away from the study site, respectively. Parasite prevalence, malaria incidence, and the proportion of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria cases were evaluated. Results: After 3 monthly rounds of AP-MDA, the parasite prevalence and the gametocyte carriage rate of P. falciparum in zone A decreased from 28.29(‰) to 0 and 4.99(‰) to 0, respectively. Compared to zone B, the relative risk for the population with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in zone A was lower (RR = 0.458, 95% CI: 0.146-1.437). Malaria incidence fell from 290.49(‰) (the same period of the previous year) to 15.27(‰) (from the 29th week in 2019 to the 14th week in 2020), a decrease of 94.74% in zone A, and from 31.74 to 5.46(‰), a decline of 82.80% in zone B. Compared to the data of the same period the previous year, the cumulative number of P. falciparum malaria cases were lower, decreasing from 165 to 10 in zone A and from 17 to 4 in zone B. The proportion of the P. falciparum malaria cases on the total malaria cases of the country decreased of 90.16% in zone A and 71.34% in zone C. Conclusion: AP-MDA greatly curbed malaria transmission by reducing malaria incidence in the study site and simultaneously creating a knock-on effect of malaria control within 1.5 km of the study site and within the limited time interval of 38 weeks.

Presence of L1014F Knockdown-Resistance Mutation in Anopheles gambiae s.s. From São Tomé and Príncipe.

Malaria, one of the most serious parasitic diseases, kills thousands of people every year, especially in Africa. São Tomé and Príncipe are known to have stable transmission of malaria. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) are considered as an effective malaria control interventions in these places. The resistance status of Anopheles gambiae s.s. from Agua Grande, Caue, and Lemba of São Tomé and Príncipe to insecticides, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) (4.0%), deltamethrin (0.05%), permethrin (0.75%), fenitrothion (1.0%), and malathion (5.0%), were tested according to the WHO standard protocol. DNA extraction, species identification, as well as kdr and ace-1R genotyping were done with the surviving and dead mosquitoes post testing. They showed resistance to cypermethrin with mortality rates ranging from 89.06% to 89.66%. Mosquitoes collected from Agua Grande, Caue, and Lemba displayed resistance to DDT and fenitrothion with mortality rates higher than 90%. No other species were detected in these study localities other than Anopheles gambiae s.s. The frequency of L1014F was high in the three investigated sites, which was detected for the first time in São Tomé and Príncipe. No ace-1R mutation was detected in all investigated sites. The high frequency of L1014F showed that kdr L1014F mutation might be related to insecticide resistance to Anopheles gambiae s.s. populations from São Tomé and Príncipe. Insecticide resistance status is alarming and, therefore, future malaria vector management should be seriously considered by the government of São Tomé and Príncipe.

The Effect of Artemisinin-Based Drugs vs Non-artemisinin-based Drugs on Gametophyte Carrying in the Body After the Treatment of Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The WHO recommends Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs) as the first-line treatment for malaria. This meta-analysis aims to analyze the effects of artemisinin and its derivatives as well as non-artemisinin drugs on the gametophytes in the host during the treatment of falciparum malaria. Fourteen studies were included in this analysis, and the artemisinin combination drugs involved were: artemether-lumefantrine (AL), artemisinin (AST), artemether-benflumetol (AB), dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine + trimethoprim + primaquine (CV8), amodiaquine + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (ASP), pyronaridine-phosphate + dihydroartemisinin (PP-DHA), dihydroartemisinin (DHA), and mefloquine + artesunate (MA), with 1702 patients. The control intervention measures involved the following: sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), mefloquine (MQ), atovaquone-proguanil (AT-PG), chloroquine + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (C-SP), quinine (Q), pyronaridine-phosphate (PP), pyronaridine (PN), and mefloquine + primaquine (MP), with 833 patients. The effect of ACTs was more obvious (OR = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.22-0.62, p < 0.05). In the control group of second malaria attacks, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (RD = 1.16, 95%CI: 0.81-1.66, p < 0.05); there was no significant difference in treatment failure during follow-up (RD = -0.01, 95%CI: 0.04-0.03, p < 0.05). There were also very few serious adverse events in both groups. ACTs showed good therapeutic effects in preventing gametocythemia but did not control the recrudescence rate and overall cure, which indicated the effectiveness of the combination of antimalarial drugs. Further research is required to explore which compatibility method is most conducive to the development of clinical malaria control.