Effects of acid and aluminum stress on seed germination and physiological characteristics of seedling growth in Sophora davidii.

Sophora davidii, a vital forage species, predominantly thrives in the subtropical karst mountains of Southwest China. Its resilience to poor soil conditions and arid environments renders it an ideal pioneer species for ecological restoration in these regions. This study investigates the influence of acidic, aluminum-rich local soil on the germination and seedling growth physiology of S. davidii. Experiments were conducted under varying degrees of acidity and aluminum stress, employing three pH levels (3.5 to 5.5) and four aluminum concentrations (0.5 to 2.0 mmol·L-1). The results showed that germination rate, germination index, and vigor index of S. davidii seeds were decreased but not significantly under slightly acidic conditions (pH 4.5-5.5), while strong acid (pH = 3.5) significantly inhibited the germination rate, germination index, and vigor index of white spurge seeds compared with the control group. Aluminum stress (≥0.5 mmol·L-1) significantly inhibited the germination rate, germination index, and vigor index of S. davidii seed. Moreover, the seedlings' root systems were sensitive to the changes of aluminum concentration, evident from significant root growth inhibition, characterized by root shortening and color deepening. Notably, under aluminum stress (pH = 4.3), the levels of malondialdehyde and proline in S. davidii escalated with increasing aluminum concentration, while antioxidant enzyme activities demonstrated an initial increase followed by a decline. The study underscores the pivotal role of cellular osmoregulatory substances and protective enzymes in combating aluminum toxicity in S. davidii, a key factor exacerbating growth inhibition in acidic environments. These findings offer preliminary theoretical insights for the practical agricultural utilization of S. davidii in challenging soil conditions.

Study on the relationship between DNA methylation of target CpG sites in peripheral blood and gestational diabetes during early pregnancy.

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling have been used to find maternal CpG sites related to the occurrence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, none of these differential sites found has been verified in a larger sample. Here, our aim was to evaluate whether first trimester changes in target CpG sites in the peripheral blood of pregnancy women predict subsequent development of GDM. This nested case-control study was based upon an early pregnancy follow-up cohort (ChiCTR1900020652). Target CpG sites were extracted from related published literature and bioinformatics analysis. The DNA methylation levels at 337 CpG sites of 80 GDM cases and 80 matched healthy controls during the early pregnancy (10-15 weeks) were assessed using MethylTarget sequencing. The best cut-off level for methylation of CpG site was determined using the generated ROC curve. The independent effect of CpG site methylation status on GDM was analyzed using conditional logistic regression. Methylation levels at 6 CpG sites were significantly higher in the GDM group than in controls, whereas those at another 6 CpG sites were significantly lower (FDR < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve at each methylation level of the significant CpG sites ranged between 0.593 and 0.650 for the occurrence of GDM. After adjusting for possible confounders, the hypermethylation status of CpG site 68167324 (OR = 3.168, 1.038-9.666) and 24837915 (OR = 5.232, 1.659-16.506) was identified as more strongly associated with GDM; meanwhile, the hypermethylation of CpG site 157130156 (OR = 0.361, 0.135-0.966) and 89438648 (OR = 0.206, 0.065-0.655) might indicate lower risk of GDM. The methylation status of target CpG sites in the peripheral blood of pregnant women during the first trimester may be associated with GDM pathogenesis, and has potential as a predictor of GDM.

Serum Metabolites as an Indicator of Developing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Later in the Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort of a Chinese Population.

OBJECTIVE: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disorder with onset during pregnancy. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of GDM have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we used a metabolomics approach to investigate the relationship between maternal serum metabolites and GDM in early pregnancy. METHODS: A nested case-control study was performed. To establish an early pregnancy cohort, pregnant women in early pregnancy (10-13+6 weeks) were recruited. In total, 51 patients with GDM and 51 healthy controls were included. Serum samples were analyzed using an untargeted high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry metabolomics approach. The relationships between metabolites and GDM were analyzed by an orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Differential metabolites were evaluated using a KEGG pathway analysis. RESULTS: A total of 44 differential metabolites were identified between GDM cases and healthy controls during early pregnancy. Of these, 26 significant metabolites were obtained in early pregnancy after false discovery rate (FDR < 0.1) correction. In the GDM group, the levels of L-pyroglutamic acid, L-glutamic acid, phenylacetic acid, pantothenic acid, and xanthine were significantly higher and the levels of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol, calcitriol, and 4-oxoproline were significantly lower than those in the control group. These metabolites were involved in multiple metabolic pathways, including those for amino acid, carbohydrate, lipid, energy, nucleotide, cofactor, and vitamin metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: We identified significant differentially expressed metabolites associated with the risk of GDM, providing insight into the mechanisms underlying GDM in early pregnancy and candidate predictive markers.

Association between ELABELA Serum Concentrations in First Trimester and Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension.

ELABELA (ELA) is considered to be implicated in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia (PE), since ELA-deficient mice exhibited PE-like symptoms and infusion of exogenous ELA normalized the gestational hypertension (GH) and proteinuria. However, no evidence show that circulating ELA is deficient in early placental development among women who destined to develop GH/PE. This nested case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between serum ELA concentration in early pregnancy and the risk of later GH/PE. Participants were recruited and sampled in 10-14+6 weeks of gestation. Definite GH/PE cases were matched 1 : 3 to controls with respect to age and gestational age. Serum concentration of ELA was measured using enzyme immunoassay. Women with later GH (N = 28) had a slightly lower median concentration of ELA (46.72 ng/mL versus 53.54 ng/mL), while those with later PE (N = 16) had a slightly higher median concentration of ELA (74.8 ng/mL versus 66.30 ng/mL) compared to the controls. Yet, both the increments did not reach statistically significant difference (GH: P = 0.380, PE: P = 0.799). ELA serum concentrations were unchanged in first trimester in women with GH/PE. Further studies are still needed to identify the dynamic changes in serum ELA concentrations during the whole pregnancy, especially in those with pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders.

Enrichment of cadmium in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under different exogenous pollution sources.

In order to unravel the cadmium (Cd) enrichment patterns in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under different exogenous exposure pathways, the pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse. Cd was added to the soil-rice system via mixing soil with Cd-containing solution, irrigating the pots with Cd-containing water and leaf-spraying with Cd solution to simulate soil pollution (SPS), irrigation water pollution (IPS), and atmospheric deposit pollution sources (APS), respectively. No significant (p > 0.05) differences in plant height and rice grain yield were observed among all treatments including three different Cd pollution sources and control. The contents of Cd in rice plants significantly (p < 0.05) increased with increase in Cd concentrations in three pollution sources. The distribution pattern of Cd in the rice plant organs treated with SPS and IPS followed the order: roots > stems > leaves > husk > brown rice, while it was leaves > roots > stems > husk > brown rice treated with APS. At the same level of treatment, the highest concentration of Cd was observed in rice organs (except for middle and high concentrations treatment roots) grown under APS, followed by IPS and SPS, suggesting that the Cd bioavailability from different pollution sources followed the order of APS > IPS > SPS. It is concluded that the atmospheric pollution contributed more enrichment of rice with Cd. Therefore, in field environment, air deposits should also be analyzed for toxic metals during assessment of food chain contamination and health risk.

Alterations in Gut Microbiota of Gestational Diabetes Patients During the First Trimester of Pregnancy.

Background: Dysbiosis of human gut microbiota is associated with a wide range of metabolic disorders, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Yet whether gut microbiota dysbiosis participates in the etiology of GDM remains largely unknown. Objectives: Our study was initiated to determine whether the alternations in gut microbial composition during early pregnancy linked to the later development of GDM, and explore the feasibility of microbial biomarkers for the early prediction of GDM. Study design: This nested case-control study was based upon an early pregnancy follow-up cohort (ChiCTR1900020652). Gut microbiota profiles of 98 subjects with GDM and 98 matched healthy controls during the early pregnancy (10-15 weeks) were assessed via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V4 region. The data set was randomly split into a discovery set and a validation set, the former was used to analyze the differences between GDM cases and controls in gut microbial composition and functional annotation, and to establish an early identification model of GDM, then the performance of the model was verified by the external validation set. Results: Bioinformatic analyses revealed changes to gut microbial composition with significant differences in relative abundance between the groups. Specifically, Eisenbergiella, Tyzzerella 4, and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 were enriched in the GDM group, whereas Parabacteroides, Megasphaera, Eubacterium eligens group, etc. remained dominant in the controls. Correlation analysis revealed that GDM-enriched genera Eisenbergiella and Tyzzerella 4 were positively correlated with fasting blood glucose levels, while three control-enriched genera (Parabacteroides, Parasutterella, and Ruminococcaceae UCG 002) were the opposite. Further, GDM functional annotation modules revealed enrichment of modules for sphingolipid metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, etc., while lysine biosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism were reduced. Finally, five genera and two clinical indices were included in the linear discriminant analysis model for the prediction of GDM; the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves of the training and validation sets were 0.736 (95% confidence interval: 0.663-0.808) and 0.696 (0.575-0.818), respectively. Conclusions: Gut bacterial dysbiosis in early pregnancy was found to be associated with the later development of GDM, and gut microbiota-targeted biomarkers might be utilized as potential predictors of GDM.

Effects of Probiotic Supplement in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that probiotics could improve glycemic control and attenuate some of the adverse effects of type 2 diabetes. However, whether the effects are generalizable to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplement in GDM. METHOD: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and EBSCO were systematically searched for relevant literature published through January 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of probiotic supplement on one or more of the following in GDM were included: pregnancy outcome (the primary outcome), glycemic control, blood lipid profile, and inflammation and oxidative stress. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias in studies. Meta-analysis was conducted by using the fixed effects model unless substantial heterogeneity was found among studies. RESULTS: Eleven randomized trials involving 719 participants were included for analysis. Eight of the trials were from Iran. Probiotics were given alone in eight trials and synbiotics in three trials. Though the components of probiotics varied, Lactobacillus was included in all trials and Bifidobacterium in all except one. The duration of intervention ranged from 4 to 8 weeks. Almost all trials (10/11) had a low risk of bias. Probiotic supplementation reduced the risk of a newborn's hyperbilirubinemia by 74% and improved four biomarkers for glycemic control (fasting blood glucose, fasting serum insulin, homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance, and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index), two biomarkers for lipid profile (triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol), and four biomarkers for inflammation and oxidative stress (total glutathione, malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and total antioxidant capacity). But significant heterogeneity was observed in the meta-analyses on the four biomarkers related to glycemic control and on triglycerides, which could not be explained by prespecified subgroup analyses according to the mean age of participants and intervention type (i.e., probiotics or synbiotics). The effects on the risk of preterm delivery, macrosomia and a newborns' hypoglycemia, gestational age, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Probiotic supplementation seemed to be able to reduce the risk of a newborn's hyperbilirubinemia and improve glycemic control, blood lipid profiles and inflammation and oxidative stress in pregnant women with GDM. However, due to the heterogeneity among existing studies, the surrogate nature of outcomes, and/or the fact that most studies were from Iran, the clinical significance and generalizability of the above findings remain uncertain. Further studies are warranted to address the limitations of existing evidence and better inform the management of GDM.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors among 10,348 police officers in a large city of China: A cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its risk factors among the police officers in a large city of China.A cross-sectional study was conducted in 10,348 police officers in 2017 in Changsha, a provincial capital located in central-south China. All participants underwent a physical examination to measure the compotents of MS and completed a questionnaire to collect data on potential risk factors. According to the current guidelines of China, MS was defined as the presence of any 3 of the following five traits: abdominal obesity, defined as a waist circumference ≥90 cm in men and ≥85 cm in women; fasting serum triglycerides ≥1.70 mmol/L, or drug treatment for elevated triglycerides; fasting serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <1.03 mmol/L, or drug treatment for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg, or drug treatment for elevated blood pressure; fasting plasma glucose ≥6.1 mmol/L, or 2-hour plasma glucose ≥7.8 mmol/L after a 75-g oral glucose load, or drug treatment for elevated blood glucose.The prevalence of MS was 23.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.2%-24.2%). The main risk factors associated with MS were older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.546, 95% CI 1.431-1.670), being male (OR 11.256, 95%CI 7.147-17.726), alcohol consumption (OR 1.250, 95% CI 1.070-1.461), and tobacco use (OR 1.398, 95% CI 1.232-1.586). Exercise was associated with decreased risk of MS (OR 0.865, 95% CI 0.755-0.991).The prevalence of MS was low in the study population. Its risk factors were similar to those identified in the general population of China. Lifestyle intervention is warranted in policemen to reduce the risk of MS and prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease.