The research of river basin ecological compensation based on water emissions trading mechanism.

By integrating the successful case of the European Union emissions trading system, this study proposes a water emissions trading system, a novel method of reducing water pollution. Assuming that upstream governments allocate initial quotas to upstream businesses as the compensation standard, this approach defines the foundational principles of market trading mechanisms and establishes a robust watershed ecological compensation model to address challenges in water pollution prevention. To be specific, the government establishes a reasonable initial quota for upstream enterprises, which can be used to limit the emissions of upstream pollution. When enterprises exceed their allocated emissions quota, they face financial penalties. Conversely, these emissions rights can be transformed into profitable assets by participating in the trading market as a form of ecological compensation. Numerical simulations demonstrate that various pollutant emissions from upstream businesses will have various effects on the profits of other businesses. Businesses in the upstream region received reimbursement from the assigned emission rights through the market mechanism, demonstrating that ecological compensation for the watershed can be achieved through the market mechanism. This novel market trading system aims at controlling emissions management from the perspectives of individual enterprises and ultimately optimizing the aquatic environment.

Polysaccharides from Phellinus linteus attenuate type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats via modulation of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most prevalent metabolic disorder. Polysaccharides from Phellinus linteus (PLP) have been found to have anti-diabetes effects, but the mechanism has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of PLP on T2DM through the gut microbiota and bile acids metabolism. The T2DM rat model was induced by a high-fat high-carbohydrate (HFHC) diet and streptozocin (30 mg/kg). We found that PLP ameliorated diabetes symptoms. Besides, PLP intervention increased the abundance of g_Bacteroides, g_Parabacteroides, and g_Alistioes, which are associated with the biosynthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and bile acids (BAs) metabolism. Meanwhile, untargeted and targeted metabolomics indicated that PLP could regulate the composition of BAs and increase the levels of SCFAs. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed to analyze the expression levels of BAs metabolism enzymes in the liver. Finally, the results of correlation analysis and Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) showed that PLP stimulated the release of GLP-1 by regulating SCFAs and BAs. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that PLP can regulate gut microbiota and BAs metabolism to promote GLP-1 secretion, thereby increasing insulin release, decreasing blood glucose and attenuating T2DM.

The Effect of Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang) on Stomach Energy Metabolism and the Related Mechanism in Rats Based on Metabonomics.

Dried ginger is a commonly used stomachic. Dried ginger is often used as a gastric protector to treat stomach-related diseases. However, the effect of dried ginger on energy metabolism in stomach tissue of rats under physiological condition has not been studied. In this study, different doses of water extract of dried ginger were given to rats for 4 weeks. The activity of Na+ -K+ -ATPase, Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase, SDH (succinate dehydrogenase) enzyme, ATP content, mitochondrial metabolic rate and mitochondrial number in stomach tissue of rats were measured. Analysis of potential biomarkers related to the effect of dried ginger on energy metabolism in stomach tissue of rats by metabonomics, and their metabolic pathways were also analyzed. The results revealed that there was no significant difference in Na+ -K+ -ATPase in high-dose group (GJH), medium-dose group (GJM) and low-dose group (GJL) compared to the Control group. The Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase activity was significantly increased in stomach tissue of GJH group and GJM group, but there were no significant changes in stomach tissue of GJL group. The SDH activity and the ATP levels were significantly increased in stomach tissue of GJH group, GJM group and GJL group. The mitochondrial metabolic rate was significantly increased in GJL group, but there was no significant change in GJM group and was inhibited in GJH group. These effects might be mediated by arginine biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, purine metabolism pathway.

Cervical Transdural Discectomy with Laminoplasty for the Treatment of Multi-segment Cervical Spinal Stenosis Accompanied with Cervical Disc Herniation: Technical Note and Clinical Outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the surgical technique of cervical transdural discectomy with laminoplasty (CTDL) for the treatment of multi-segment cervical spinal stenosis (CSS) accompanied with cervical disc herniation (CDH) and investigate its surgical outcomes and complications. METHODS: This was a clinical study. Between 2012 and 2018, 31 patients (13 males and 18 females) with multi-segment CSS (over two cervical segments) accompanied with huge CDH and underwent CTDL were enrolled in this study. The details of CTDL technique with general anesthesia was described by the authors. The average follow-up period of patients was 65.03 months (range from 24 to 126 months). Perioperative parameters such as age, sex, operative level, operative time, estimated blood loss, ambulation time, and operative complications were recorded. The results of clinical metrics such as the visual analog scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores in the preoperative and during the follow-up period were obtained and used to evaluate clinical outcomes. Radiographic improvement was evaluated by the compression ratio, sagittal maximum spinal cord compression (SMSCC), and cervical range of motion (ROM). The preoperative and postoperative follow-up parameters (VAS, JOA, Compression ratio, SMSCC, and ROM) were assessed with paired t test. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the study, the mean age of the 31 patients was 55.23 ± 10.97 years. The mean operative time was 192.45 ± 24.17 min (ranging from 150 to 245 min), and intraoperative blood loss was 322.58 ± 129.00 mL (ranging from 150 to 600 mL). The VAS neck pain was improved significantly over the follow-up period (P < 0.05, respectively). The VAS arm pain improved significantly from 6.26 ± 0.93 preoperatively to 1.74 ± 0.63 at 24 months postoperatively (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in improvement of VAS arm pain between 24 months postoperatively and final follow-up (P = 0.180). Compared with preoperative JOA score, JOA score was significantly improved at 24 months postoperatively (14.79 ± 1.84 vs 9.66 ± 2.81, P < 0.001). Meanwhile, there were no statistically significant differences between the final follow-up and the postoperative JOA scores (15.08 ± 1.71 vs 14.79 ± 1.84, P = 0.051). Postoperative patients showed significantly higher index of compression ratio (58.30 ± 8.51 vs 27.17 ± 3.89, P < 0.001) and lower SMSCC (25.12 ± 5.67 vs 33.66 ± 5.38, P < 0.001). In addition, there was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative cervical ROM (P = 0.740). One patient observed postoperative symptom of C6 nerve root injury, which was resolved within 24 months after the surgery; meanwhile, the neurological monitoring also reflected the intraoperative stretching of the C6 nerve root. Two cases involved postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage which may have been related to laceration of dura mater. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that CTDL technique could acquire satisfactory surgical outcomes for patients with multi-segment CSS accompanied with CDH, but the surgical indications of the patients need to be selected strictly.

Characterization and Development of Microsatellite Markers in Pseudotaxus chienii (Taxaceae) Based on Transcriptome Sequencing.

Pseudotaxus chienii (Taxaceae) is an endangered conifer species endemic to China. However, a lack of suitable molecular markers hinders the genomic and genetic studies on this species. Here, we characterized and developed the microsatellite markers from a newly sequenced P. chienii transcriptome. A total of 21,835 microsatellite loci were detected from 161,131 non-redundant unigene sequences, and the frequency of SSRs was 13.55%, with an average of one SSR loci per 9.18 kb. Mono-nucleotide, di-nucleotide, and tri-nucleotide were the dominant repeat types, accounting for 50.06, 13.49, and 29.39% of the total SSRs, respectively. In terms of distribution location, the coding regions (CDS) with few microsatellites and mainly consisted of tri-nucleotides. There were significant differences in the length of microsatellite among genic regions and motif types. Functional annotation showed that the unigenes containing microsatellites had a wide range of biological functions, most of which were related to basic metabolism, and a few might be involved in expression regulation of gene and response to environmental stress. In addition, 375 primer pairs were randomly selected and synthesized for the amplification and validation of microsatellite markers. Seventy-seven primer pairs were successfully amplified and 40 primer pairs were found to be polymorphic. Finally, 20 pairs of primers with high polymorphism were selected to assess the genetic diversity in four P. chienii populations. In addition, the newly developed microsatellite markers exhibited high transferability (70%) in Amentotaxus argotaenia. Our study could enable further genetic diversity analysis and functional gene mining on Taxaceae.

Bioleaching of realgar nanoparticles using the extremophilic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans DLC-5

BACKGROUND: This paper presents micro- and nano-fabrication techniques for leachable realgar using the extremophilic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) DLC-5. RESULTS: Realgar nanoparticles of size ranging from 120 nm to 200 nm were successfully prepared using the highenergy ball mill instrument. A. ferrooxidans DLC-5 was then used to bioleach the particles. The arsenic concentration in the bioleaching system was found to be increased significantly when compared with that in the sterile control. Furthermore, in the comparison with the bioleaching of raw realgar, nanoparticles could achieve the same effect with only one fifth of the consumption. CONCLUSION: Emphasis was placed on improving the dissolvability of arsenic because of the great potential of leachable realgar drug delivery in both laboratory and industrial settings

A vanillin derivative suppresses the growth of HT29 cells through the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. According to previous studies, vanillin possesses pharmacological and anticancer activities. In this work, we have modified the structure of vanillin to obtain a vanillin derivative called 4-(1H-imidazo [4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthrolin-2-yl)-2-methoxyphenol (IPM711), which has improved anticancer activity. The present study is intended to explore the anti-colorectal cancer activity of IPM711 in HT29 and HCT116 cells. The results of this study suggest that IPM711 can inhibit the growth, invasion and migration of HT29 and HCT116 cells. Western blot and molecular docking showed that IPM711 could bind to a Wnt/ß-catenin signaling receptor to inhibit cell growth, invasion and migration in HT29 cells. Based on these results, IPM711 is a promising anticancer drug candidate for human colorectal cancer therapy.

Starch biotransformation into isomaltooligosaccharides using thermostable alpha-glucosidase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus.

The present study first identified the biotransformation of starch as a novel preparation method was investigated using the alpha-transglucosidase-producing Geobacillus stearothermophilus U2. Subsequently, 5 L- and 20 L-scale fermentations were performed. After isolation and purification, liquid alpha-glucosidase preparations were obtained. Through covalent cross-linking and adsorption cross-linking using chitosan as the carrier and glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent, the conditions for immobilization of alpha-glucosidase on chitosan were determined. Moreover, Isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOs) were then prepared using chitosan membrane-immobilized alpha-glucosidase, beta-amylase, pullulanase, fungal alpha-amylase and starch as substrate. The mixed syrup that contained IMOs was evaluated and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, small-scale preparation of IMOs was performed. These results are a strong indication that the alpha-transglucosidase-producing G. stearothermophilus as a potential application technique can be successfully used to prepare industrial IMOs.

Strand-specific RNA-seq analysis of the Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans transcriptome in response to magnesium stress.

Bioleaching is a promising process for 350 million tons Jinchuan low-grade pentlandite. But, Jinchuan pentlandite has lots of magnesium and high concentration of Mg2+ is harmful to bioleaching microorganisms. Thus, finding a way to improve the adaption of microorganisms to Mg2+ is a key for bioleaching. In the study, we found that oxidizing activity, bioleaching ability and biofilm formation of A.f were inhibited by Mg2+ stress. In addition, we analyzed mRNA and small RNA (sRNA) of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A.f) under Mg2+ stress by strand-specific RNA-sequencing (ssRNA-seq). After the bioinformatics process, 2475 coding genes were obtained, and there were 33 differential expression genes (DEGs) in 0.1 M-VS-Con, including 28 down-regulated and 5 up-regulated, whereas 52 DEGs were obtained in 0.5 M-VS-Con, including 28 down-regulated and 24 up-regulated. Gene ontology analysis showed most of DEGs were involved in catalytic activity, metabolic process and single-organism process. Furthermore, we identified 636 sRNA and some differential expression sRNA that may respond to Mg2+ stress. Further analysis of DEGs suggested that Mg2+ stress reduced biofilm formation perhaps through inhibiting Type IV Pili-related gene expression and inhibited bacterial activity perhaps through affecting carbon fixation. The study provided the foundation to understand the mechanisms of Mg2+ resistance in A.f and may be helpful to improve bioleaching ability for pentlandit.

Mg2+ reduces biofilm quantity in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans through inhibiting Type IV pili formation.

Bioleaching is a promising process for 350 million tons of Jinchuan low-grade pentlandite. But high concentration of Mg2+ is harmful to bioleaching microorganisms. Interestingly, biofilm formation can improve leaching rate. Thus, it is actually necessary to investigate the effect of Mg2+ stress on Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans biofilms formation. In this study, we found that 0.1 and 0.5 M Mg2+ stress significantly reduced the total biomass of biofilm in a dose-dependent manner. The observation results of extracellular polymeric substances and bacteria using confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the biofilm became thinner and looser under Mg2+ stress. Whereas 0.1 and 0.5 M Mg2+ stress had no remarkable effect on the bacterial viability, the attachment rate of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to pentlandite was reduced by Mg2+ stress. Furthermore, sliding motility, twitching motility and the gene expression level of pilV and pilW were inhibited under Mg2+ stress. These results suggested that Mg2+ reduced biofilm formation through inhibiting pilV and pilW gene expression, decreasing Type IV pili formation and then attenuating the ability of attachment, subduing the active expansion of biofilms mediated by twitching motility. This study provided more information about the effect of Mg2+ stress on biofilm formation and may be useful for increasing the leaching rate in low-grade pentlandit.

The first complete chloroplast genome of a traditional Chinese medicinal herb Odontosoria chinensis (Lindsaeaceae).

It is the first report on complete chloroplast genome of Odontosoria chinensis, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. The genome size is 156,293 bp, containing a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) (25,198 bp) separated by a small single-copy (SSC) region (20,649 bp) and a large single-copy (LSC) region (85,248 bp), respectively. The plastome has 128 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 32 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes, and one pseudogene. The overall GC content is 40.43%. Maximum likelihood tree reveals that O. chinensis is basal lineages of polypods. The study will provide powerful molecular information for further phylogenetic analysis.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Histiopteris incisa (Dennstaedtiaceae).

Histiopteris incisa is a core member to address the issue of relationship between Histiopteris and Pteris. Its complete chloroplast genome was generated by de novo assembly using Illumina sequencing. The complete chloroplast genome is a quadripartite structure of 16,0567 bp in length, with two inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 27,119 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,897 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 21,432 bp. A total of 132 genes were predicted, involving in 88 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, 35 tRNA genes, and one pseudogene. ML phylogenetic analysis showed that H. incisa was closely related to Pteridium aquilinum subsp. aquilinum.

The first complete chloroplast genome of Pteris vittata (Pteridaceae), an arsenic hyperaccumulating fern.

It is the first report on complete chloroplast genome of Pteris vittata, an arsenic hyperaccumulating fern. Its genome size is 154,130 bp, with a typical circular structure including a large single-copy (LSC) (82,623 bp) and a small single-copy (SSC) (20,957 bp) regions separated by a pair of inverted repeats (25,275 bp each). The plastome encodes 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes, and two pseudogenes. The overall Guanine+Cytosine (GC) content is 41.7% and GC content in the IR regions is higher than in the LSC and SSC regions. Maximum likelihood (ML) tree indicated that P. vittata was clustered with Ceratopteris richardii.

The complete chloroplast genome of Macrothelypteris torresiana, a reputed medicinal fern (Thelypteridaceae).

Macrothelypteris torresiana is a reputed medicinal fern. Its complete chloroplast genome was determined by Illumina paired-end sequencing. The genome is 151,150 bp in length with 43.1% overall Guanine+Cytosine (GC) content, which is divided into four distinct parts such as a small single copy (SSC, 21,772 bp), a large single copy (LSC, 82,422 bp), and two inverted repeats (IRs, 23,478 bp each). It contains 132 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, 35 tRNA genes, and three pseudogenes. Maximum likelihood (ML) tree revealed that M. torresiana was closely grouped with Christella appendiculata with 100% bootstrap value.

Properties of realgar bioleaching using an extremely acidophilic bacterium and its antitumor mechanism as an anticancer agent.

Realgar is a naturally occurring arsenic sulfide (or Xionghuang, in Chinese). It contains over 90% tetra-arsenic tetra-sulfide (As4S4). Currently, realgar has been confirmed the antitumor activities, both in vitro and in vivo, of realgar extracted using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans). Bioleaching, a new technology to greatly improve the use rate of arsenic extraction from realgar using bacteria, is a novel methodology that addressed a limitation of the traditional method for realgar preparation. The present systematic review reports on the research progress in realgar bioleaching and its antitumor mechanism as an anticancer agent. A total of 93 research articles that report on the biological activity of extracts from realgar using bacteria and its preparation were presented in this review. The realgar bioleaching solution (RBS) works by inducing apoptosis when it is used to treat tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. When it is used to treat animal model organisms in vivo, such as mice and Caenorhabditis elegans, tumor tissues grew more slowly, with mass necrosis. Meanwhile, the agent also showed obvious inhibition of tumor cell growth. Bioleaching technology greatly improves the utilization of realgar and is a novel methodology to improve the traditional method.

Properties of realgar bioleaching using an extremely acidophilic bacterium and its antitumor mechanism as an anticancer agent

Realgar is a naturally occurring arsenic sulfide (or Xionghuang, in Chinese). It contains over 90% tetra-arsenic tetrasulfide (As4S4). Currently, realgar has been confirmed the antitumor activities, both in vitro and in vivo, of realgar extracted using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans). Bioleaching, a new technology to greatly improve the use rate of arsenic extraction from realgar using bacteria, is a novel methodology that addressed a limitation of the traditional method for realgar preparation. The present systematic review reports on the research progress in realgar bioleaching and its antitumor mechanism as an anticancer agent. A total of 93 research articles that report on the biological activity of extracts from realgar using bacteria and its preparation were presented in this review. The realgar bioleaching solution (RBS) works by inducing apoptosis when it is used to treat tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. When it is used to treat animal model organisms in vivo, such as mice and Caenorhabditis elegans, tumor tissues grew more slowly, with mass necrosis. Meanwhile, the agent also showed obvious inhibition of tumor cell growth. Bioleaching technology greatly improves the utilization of realgar and is a novel methodology to improve the traditional method.

Interaction between sulfur and lead in toxicity, iron plaque formation and lead accumulation in rice plant.

Human activities have resulted in lead and sulfur accumulation in paddy soils in parts of southern China. A combined soil-sand pot experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of S supply on iron plaque formation and Pb accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under two Pb levels (0 and 600 mg kg(-1)), combined with four S concentrations (0, 30, 60, and 120 mg kg(-1)). Results showed that S supply significantly decreased Pb accumulation in straw and grains of rice. This result may be attributed to the enhancement of Fe plaque formation, decrease of Pb availability in soil, and increase of reduced glutathione (GSH) in rice leaves. Moderate S supply (30 mg kg(-1)) significantly increased Fe plaque formation on the root surface and in the rhizosphere, whereas excessive S supply (60 and 120 mg kg(-1)) significantly decreased the amounts of iron plaque on the root surface. Sulfur supply significantly enhanced the GSH contents in leaves of rice plants under Pb treatment. With excessive S application, the rice root acted as a more effective barrier to Pb accumulation compared with iron plaque. Excessive S supply may result in a higher monosulfide toxicity and decreased iron plaque formation on the root surface during flooded conditions. However, excessive S supply could effectively decrease Pb availability in soils and reduce Pb accumulation in rice plants.

Cultivation-independent comprehensive investigations on bacterial communities in serofluid dish, a traditional Chinese fermented food.

Serofluid dish (or Jiangshui, in Chinese), a traditional food in the Chinese culture, is made from vegetables by fermentation. In this study, bacterial community of the fermented serofluid dish was assessed by Illumina amplicon sequencing. The metagenome comprised of 49,589 average raw reads with an average 11,497,917 bp and G + C content is 52.46%. This is the first report on V4 hyper-variable region of the 16S rRNA metagenome sequence employing Illumina platform to profile the microbial community of this little known fermented food from Gansu Province, China. The metagenome sequence can be accessed at NCBI, SRA database accession no. SRP065370.

Metagenomic data of fungal internal transcribed spacer from serofluid dish, a traditional Chinese fermented food.

Serofluid dish (or Jiangshui, in Chinese), a traditional food in the Chinese culture for thousands of years, is made from vegetables by fermentation. In this work, microorganism community of the fermented serofluid dish was investigated by the culture-independent method. The metagenomic data in this article contains the sequences of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rRNA genes from 12 different serofluid dish samples. The metagenome comprised of 50,865 average raw reads with an average of 8,958,220 bp and G + C content is 45.62%. This is the first report on metagenomic data of fungal ITS from serofluid dish employing Illumina platform to profile the fungal communities of this little known fermented food from Gansu Province, China. The Metagenomic data of fungal internal transcribed spacer can be accessed at NCBI, SRA database accession no. SRP067411.

Draft genome sequence of extremely acidophilic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans DLC-5 isolated from acid mine drainage in Northeast China.

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans type strain DLC-5, isolated from Wudalianchi in Heihe of Heilongjiang Province, China. Here, we present the draft genome of strain DLC-5 which contains 4,232,149 bp in 2745 contigs with 57.628% GC content and includes 32,719 protein-coding genes and 64 tRNA-encoding genes. The genome sequence can be accessed at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession no. JNNH00000000.1.