Impact of iron-modified biochars on soil nitrous oxide emissions: Variations with iron salts and soil fertility.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils are a significant environmental concern due to their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Biochar has been considered as a promising soil amendment for its potential to influence soil processes. Iron modification of biochar has been extensively discussed for its ability to enhance adsorption of pollutants, yet its impact on mitigating soil N2O emissions remains poorly understood. In the present study, corn straw (CB) and wood (WB) biochars were treated with FeSO4/FeCl3 (SCB and SWB) and Fe(NO3)3 (NCB and NWB). The effects of these biochars on soil N2O emissions were investigated using soils with varying fertility levels over a 35-day incubation period at 20 °C. Results revealed significant variations in biochar surface chemistry depending on biochar feedstock and iron salts. Compared to pristine biochars, NWB and NCB exhibited higher pH, total N content, and dissolved NO3-N concentrations (246 ± 17 and 298 ± 35 mg kg-1, respectively), but lower bulk and surface C content. In contrast, SWB and SCB demonstrated acidic pH and elevated dissolved NH4-N concentrations (5.38 ± 0.43 and 4.19 ± 0.22 mg kg-1, respectively). In forest soils, NWB and NCB increased cumulative N2O emission by 28.5% and 67.0%, respectively, likely due to the introduction of mineral nitrogen evidenced by significant positive correlation with NO3-N or NH4-N. Conversely, SWB and SCB reduced emissions in the same soil by 28.5% and 6.9%, respectively. In agricultural soil, most biochars, except SWB, enhanced N2O emissions, possibly through the release of labile organic carbon facilitating denitrification. These findings underscore the significance of changes in biochar surface chemistry and the associated potential risk in triggering soil N2O emissions. This study highlights the need for a balanced design of biochar that considers both engineering benefits and climate change mitigation.

Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome for the treatment of hypertensive target organ damage: Role of natural products and formulations.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hypertension is a major global health problem that causes target organ damage (TOD) in the heart, brain, kidney, and blood vessels. The mechanisms of hypertensive TOD are not fully understood, and its treatment is challenging. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the role of Nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in hypertensive TOD and the natural products and formulations that inhibit it. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and CNKI for relevant articles using the keywords "hypertension," "target organ damage," "NLRP3 inflammasome," "natural products," and "formulations." We reviewed the effects of the NLRP3 inflammasome on hypertensive TOD in different organs and discussed the natural products and formulations that modulate it. KEY RESULTS: In hypertensive TOD, the NLRP3 inflammasome is activated by various stimuli such as oxidative stress and inflammation. Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome leads to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that exacerbate tissue damage and dysfunction. Natural products and formulations, including curcumin, resveratrol, triptolide, and allicin, have shown protective effects against hypertensive TOD by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The NLRP3 inflammasome is a promising therapeutic target in hypertensive TOD. Natural products and formulations that inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome may provide novel drug candidates or therapies for hypertensive TOD. Further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and optimize the dosages of these natural products and formulations and evaluate their clinical efficacy and safety.

Biochar combined with different nitrogen fertilization rates increased crop yield and greenhouse gas emissions in a rapeseed-soybean rotation system.

Biochar as agricultural soil amendment has been extensively investigated for its potential to sequester carbon, to mitigate greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, to enhance soil fertility and enhance crop yields. In this study, we investigated the impact of varying N fertilization rates in conjunction with biochar on soil properties, crop yield, and GHGs emissions in a rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) rotation system for one year. Biochar and N fertilizer were applied following a factorial combination design of three biochar (B0: 0 t hm-2, B1: 15 t hm-2, and B2: 60 t hm-2) and three N fertilizer application rates (H: 100%, M: 75%, and L: 50% of the conventional application rates). In general, there was no significant effect of N fertilizer and its interaction with biochar application on soil water content, pH, and total carbon content, but the addition of biochar significantly increased these parameters (P < 0.05). The yield of both crops were significantly augmented by biochar up to 75% compared to using N fertilization alone, potentially due to enhanced N use efficiency. However, biochar significantly increased the cumulative N2O and CH4 emissions by as much as 2.2 times and 19 times, respectively, during the rapeseed season, thereby elevating the global warming potential (GWP) and the yield-scaled GWP. Nevertheless, the significantly increased soil carbon content following biochar addition might boost soil carbon sequestration, which could counterbalance the escalating GWP induced by GHGs. Therefore, we recommend a comprehensive and long-term evaluation of biochar's impact by considering crop yield, GHGs emissions, and carbon sequestration in agricultural systems to ensure sustainable agricultural management.

A high-density genetic map construction and sex-related loci identification in Chinese Giant salamander.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus is an important amphibian species in China because of its increasing economic value, protection status and special evolutionary position from aquatic to terrestrial animal. Its large genome presents challenges to genetic research. Genetic linkage mapping is an important tool for genome assembly and determination of phenotype-related loci. RESULTS: In this study, we constructed a high-density genetic linkage map using ddRAD sequencing technology to obtain SNP genotyping data of members from an full-sib family which sex had been determined. A total of 10,896 markers were grouped and oriented into 30 linkage groups, representing 30 chromosomes of A. davidianus. The genetic length of LGs ranged from 17.61 cM (LG30) to 280.81 cM (LG1), with a mean inter-locus distance ranging from 0.11(LG3) to 0.48 cM (LG26). The total genetic map length was 2643.10 cM with an average inter-locus distance of 0.24 cM. Three sex-related loci and four sex-related markers were found on LG6 and LG23, respectively. CONCLUSION: We constructed the first High-density genetic linkage map and identified three sex-related loci in the Chinese giant salamander. Current results are expected to be a useful tool for future genomic studies aiming at the marker-assisted breeding of the species.

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE MASS SPECTROMETRY-BASED INVESTIGATION OF THE EXOSOME LANDSCAPE.

Exosomes are critical intercellular messengers released upon the fusion of multivesicular bodies with the cellular plasma membrane that deliver their cargo in the form of extracellular vesicles. Containing numerous nonrandomly packed functional proteins, lipids, and RNAs, exosomes are vital intercellular messengers that contribute to the physiologic processes of the healthy organism. During the post-genome era, exosome-oriented proteomics have garnered great interest. Since its establishment, mass spectrometry (MS) has been indispensable for the field of proteomics research and has advanced rapidly to interrogate biological samples at a higher resolution and sensitivity. Driven by new methodologies and more advanced instrumentation, MS-based approaches have revolutionized our understanding of protein biology. As the access to online proteomics database platforms has blossomed, experimental data processing occurs with more speed and accuracy. Here, we review recent advances in the technological progress of MS-based proteomics and several new detection strategies for MS-based proteomics research. We also summarize the use of integrated online databases for proteomics research in the era of big data. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Mass Spec Rev.

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of naproxen-probenecid conjugate for central nervous system (CNS) delivery.

Naproxen, known as the most potent non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, is vitally crucial in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, due to the poor brain penetration ability, it causes serious adverse effects with the therapeutic doses. Predictably, these unfavorable factors have hindered its further application. In this study, a novel brain-targeting conjugate, Nap-Pro, was designed and synthesized. The chemical stability and metabolic stability of this conjugate were determined in phosphate buffer, blood serum and brain homogenate, respectively. The cytotoxicity of Nap-Pro was evaluated in b End. 3 cells. In addition, the brain targeting capacity of Nap-Pro was also investigated in vivo. Importantly, Nap-Pro showed excellent capacity to cross the brain-blood barrier (BBB), suggesting probenecid was a super carrier that enhanced the delivery of drugs into brain. Collectively, the probenecid modification was a promising strategy to develop the novel drug delivery systems for brain targeting.

Neo-tanshinlactone selectively inhibits the proliferation of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells through transcriptional down-regulation of estrogen receptor alpha.

Breast cancer, the most frequent cancer in women, is the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Estrogens and estrogen receptors are well recognized to play predominant roles in breast cancer development and growth. Neo-tanshinlactone is a natural product isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza and showed selective growth inhibition of ER+ breast cancer cell lines as demonstrated by cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay. The selective anti-proliferative effect of neo-tanshinlactone was associated with the induction of apoptosis in ER+ breast cancer cells. We also found that neo-tanshinlactone decreased steady state ESR1 mRNA levels in ER+ breast cancer cells, which was further confirmed by analysis of ER protein levels as well as the mRNA levels of target genes of this transcription factor, such as ESR2, BRCA1, CCND1, GREB1, TFF1, SERPINB9 and ABCA3. Furthermore, analysis of heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) demonstrated that neo-tanshinlactone inhibited ESR1 mRNA de novo synthesis. The decrease of steady state ESR1 mRNA upon neo-tanshinlactone treatment was not abolished by protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. And inhibition of mRNA synthesis with actinomycin D revealed no significant effect of neo-tanshinlactone on ESR1 mRNA stability. These results indicated that transcriptional down-regulation of ESR1 mRNA could contribute to the selective activity of neo-tanshinlactone on ER+ breast cancer cells. And as expected, the combination of neo-tanshinlactone and antiestrogen reagent tamoxifen showed a synergistic effect on growth of ER+ MCF7 cells. Our results suggest that neo-tanshinlactone is a promising regimen for ER+ breast tumors.

Molecular method for sex identification of half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) using a novel sex-linked microsatellite marker.

Half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) is one of the most important flatfish species for aquaculture in China. To produce a monosex population, we attempted to develop a marker-assisted sex control technique in this sexually size dimorphic fish. In this study, we identified a co-dominant sex-linked marker (i.e., CyseSLM) by screening genomic microsatellites and further developed a novel molecular method for sex identification in the tongue sole. CyseSLM has a sequence similarity of 73%-75% with stickleback, medaka, Fugu and Tetraodon. At this locus, two alleles (i.e., A244 and A234) were amplified from 119 tongue sole individuals with primer pairs CyseSLM-F1 and CyseSLM-R. Allele A244 was present in all individuals, while allele A234 (female-associated allele, FAA) was mostly present in females with exceptions in four male individuals. Compared with the sequence of A244, A234 has a 10-bp deletion and 28 SNPs. A specific primer (CyseSLM-F2) was then designed based on the A234 sequence, which amplified a 204 bp fragment in all females and four males with primer CyseSLM-R. A time-efficient multiplex PCR program was developed using primers CyseSLM-F2, CyseSLM-R and the newly designed primer CyseSLM-F3. The multiplex PCR products with co-dominant pattern could be detected by agarose gel electrophoresis, which accurately identified the genetic sex of the tongue sole. Therefore, we have developed a rapid and reliable method for sex identification in tongue sole with a newly identified sex-linked microsatellite marker.

Endocannabinoid Hydrolase Inhibitors: Potential Novel Anxiolytic Drugs.

Over the past decade, the idea of targeting the endocannabinoid system to treat anxiety disorders has received increasing attention. Previous studies focused more on developing cannabinoid receptor agonists or supplementing exogenous cannabinoids, which are prone to various adverse effects due to their strong pharmacological activity and poor receptor selectivity, limiting their application in clinical research. Endocannabinoid hydrolase inhibitors are considered to be the most promising development strategies for the treatment of anxiety disorders. More recent efforts have emphasized that inhibition of two major endogenous cannabinoid hydrolases, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), indirectly activates cannabinoid receptors by increasing endogenous cannabinoid levels in the synaptic gap, circumventing receptor desensitization resulting from direct enhancement of endogenous cannabinoid signaling. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the anxiolytic effects of MAGL and FAAH inhibitors and their potential pharmacological mechanisms, highlight reported novel inhibitors or natural products, and provide an outlook on future directions in this field.

Real-world study of adverse events associated with gepant use in migraine treatment based on the VigiAccess and U.S. Food and Drug Administration's adverse event reporting system databases.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the real-world profile of adverse events (AEs) associated with gepant medications in the clinical treatment of migraines by analyzing data collected from the VigiAccess database and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. As novel migraine therapies, gepants act by targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway, demonstrating effective control of migraine attacks and good tolerability. Nonetheless, comprehensive real-world studies on the safety of gepants are still lacking, particularly regarding their safety in large populations, long-term use, and potential adverse reactions in specific groups, which necessitates further empirical research. Leveraging these two international adverse event reporting system databases, we systematically gathered and analyzed reports of AEs related to gepant medications, such as rimegepant. Our focus encompasses but is not limited to severe, new, and rare adverse reactions induced by the drugs, as well as safety issues pertaining to the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal systems. Through descriptive statistical analyses, we assessed the incidence and characteristics of AEs, compared AEs among gepants, and uncovered previously unknown AE information, all with the goal of providing a reference for the selection of clinical treatment regimens and AE monitoring. Methods: By extracting all AE reports concerning "rimegepant", "atogepant", and "ubrogepant" from the VigiAccess and FAERS database since its establishment up to 31 March 2024, a retrospective quantitative analysis was conducted. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) method were used to compare AEs among the three gepants. Results: In the VigiAccess and FAERS databases, 23542 AE reports in total, respectively, were identified as being related to gepant medications. Among gastrointestinal system AEs, rimegepant had the greatest proportion and greatest signal strength; nausea was most severe and had the strongest signal in rimegepant AEs, whereas constipation was most prominent and had the strongest signal in atogepant AEs. In skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders, rash and pruritus were more frequently observed with rimegepant, followed by ubrogepant. Alopecia emerged as a novel AE, being more severe in rimegepant and secondarily in atogepant. Regarding cardiac disorders, the three gepants showed comparable rates of cardiac AEs, yet rimegepant exhibited the strongest AE signal. In musculoskeletal and connective tissue AEs, ubrogepant presented the most positive signals for skeletal muscle AEs. Furthermore, among the rare blood and lymphatic system disorder AEs, rimegepant had the highest number of reports of Raynaud's phenomenon and the strongest signal. The study also revealed that while reports of AEs involving liver diseases were scarce across the three gepants, severe AEs were detected in clinical trials, highlighting the need for continued, enhanced monitoring of liver system AEs through large-scale datasets. Conclusion: Gepant medications exhibit similarities and differences in their safety profiles. Analysis of the two databases indicated the presence of AEs across various systems, including gastrointestinal disorders, skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases, musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, organ-specific effects, and liver diseases. However, each drug displays distinct incidences and signal intensities for these AEs. Additionally, the study revealed a rare AE in the form of Raynaud's phenomenon. These findings suggest that during clinical use, individualized medication selection and AE monitoring should be based on the patient's physiological condition and specific characteristics.

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions and related microbial communities from mangrove stems on Qi'ao Island, Pearl River Estuary in China.

Mangrove forests, crucial carbon-rich ecosystems, are increasingly vulnerable to soil carbon loss and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human disturbance. However, the contribution of mangrove trees to GHG emissions remains poorly understood. This study monitored CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes from the stems of two mangrove species, native Kandelia obovata (KO) and exotic Sonneratia apetala (SA), at three heights (0.7 m, 1.2 m, and 1.7 m) during the dry winter period on Qi'ao Island, Pearl River Estuary, China. Heartwood samples were analyzed to identify potential functional groups related to gas fluxes. Our study found that tree stems acted as both sinks and sources for N2O (ranging from -9.49 to 28.35 µg m-2 h-1 for KO and from -6.73 to 28.95 µg m-2 h-1 for SA) and CH4. SA exhibited significantly higher stem CH4 flux (from -26.67 to 97.33 µg m-2 h-1) compared to KO (from -44.13 to 88.0 µg m-2 h-1) (P < 0.05). When upscaled to the community level, both species were net emitters of CH4, contributing approximately 4.68 % (KO) and 0.51 % (SA) to total CH4 emissions. The decrease in stem CH4 flux with increasing height, indicates a soil source. Microbial analysis in the heartwood using the KEGG database indicated aceticlastic methanogenesis as the dominant CH4 pathway. The presence of methanogens, methanotrophs, denitrifiers, and nitrifiers suggests microbial involvement in CH4 and N2O production and consumption. Remarkably, the dominance of Cyanobacteria in the heartwood microbiome (with the relative abundance of 97.5 ± 0.6 % for KO and 99.1 ± 0.2 % for SA) implies roles in carbon and nitrogen fixation for mangroves coping with nitrogen limitation in coastal wetlands, and possibly in CH4 production. Although the present study has limitations in sampling duration and area, it highlights the significant role of tree stems in GHG emissions which is crucial for a holistic evaluation of the global carbon sequestration capability of mangrove ecosystems. Future research should broaden spatial and temporal scales to enhance the accuracy of upscaling tree stem gas fluxes to the mangrove ecosystem level.

Characteristics of the phyllosphere microbial community and its relationship with major aroma precursors during the tobacco maturation process.

Numerous bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms in the tobacco phyllosphere interstellar area participate in the physiological metabolism of plants by interacting with the host. However, there is currently little research on the characteristics of tobacco phyllosphere microbial communities, and the correlation between tobacco phyllosphere microbial communities and phyllosphere factor indicators is still unknown. Therefore, high-throughput sequencing technology based on the 16S rRNA/ITS1 gene was used to explore the diversity and composition characteristics of tobacco phyllosphere bacterial and fungal communities from different maturation processes, and to identify marker genera that distinguish phyllosphere microbial communities. In this study, the correlations between tobacco phyllosphere bacterial and fungal communities and the precursors of major aroma compounds were explored. The results showed that as the tobacco plants matured, the density of glandular trichomes on the tobacco leaves gradually decreased. The surface physicochemical properties of tobacco leaves also undergo significant changes. In addition, the overall bacterial alpha diversity in the tobacco phyllosphere area increased with maturation, while the overall fungal alpha diversity decreased. The beta diversity of bacteria and fungi in the tobacco phyllosphere area also showed significant differences. Specifically, with later top pruning time, the relative abundances of Acidisoma, Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, Alternaria and Talaromyces gradually increased, while the relative abundances of Pseudomonas, Filobassidium, and Tausonia gradually decreased. In the bacterial community, Acidisoma, Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, and Alternaria were significantly positively correlated with tobacco aroma precursors, with significant negative correlations with tobacco phyllosphere trichome morphology, while Pseudomonas showed the opposite pattern; In the fungal community, Filobasidium and Tausonia were significantly negatively correlated with tobacco aroma precursors, and significantly positively correlated with tobacco phyllosphere trichome morphology, while Alternaria showed the opposite pattern. In conclusion, the microbiota (bacteria and fungi) and aroma precursors of the tobacco phyllosphere change significantly as tobacco matures. The presence of Acidisoma, Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium and Alternaria in the phyllosphere microbiota of tobacco may be related to the aroma precursors of tobacco.

Network pharmacology combines machine learning, molecular simulation dynamics and experimental validation to explore the mechanism of acetylbinankadsurin A in the treatment of liver fibrosis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A. C. Smith is known as "Heilaohu" of the Tujia ethnomedicine in China. It has anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory and liver protective effects, used to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, gastritis and hepatitis. In this research, we investigated the anti-fibrotic effect and possible mechanisms of acetylbinankadsurin A (ACBA) in vitro and in vivo, which is a natural compound derived from roots of K. coccinea. AIM OF THE STUDY: We try to evaluate the efficacy of ACBA in the treatment of liver fibrosis and to explore the underlying mechanisms of ACBA by network pharmacology, machine learning, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and experimental assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ACBA was isolated from the CH2Cl2 layer of the roots of K. coccinea through column chromatographic techniques. The structure of ACBA was determined by using 1D and 2D NMR. CCl4-induced C57BL/6 mouse liver fibrosis models were established to evaluate the anti-fibrosis effects of ACBA in vivo. The molecular targets of ACBA and liver fibrosis were obtained from various databases, then constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks through the STRING database. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were applied using the "clusterProfiler" R package. Furthermore, the key genes for ACBA treatment of liver fibrosis were identified by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were also carried out. Finally, the target and pathway of ACBA were verified by immunofluorescence staining, RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULT: First, ACBA attenuated CCl4-induced liver injury and fibrosis in vivo. These findings were accompanied by decreased expression of α-SMA and collagen I. Second, ACBA significantly decreased serum levels of ALT, AST, TNF-α and IL-6. Then, we identified 133 potential targets of ACBA and 7987 targets of liver fibrosis. KEGG analysis showed that ACBA could regulate the drug metabolism - cytochrome P450, fructose and mannose metabolism, IL-17 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Next, six core targets was screened by LASSO analysis including AKR1B1, PFKFB3, EPHA3, CDK1, CCR1 and CYP3A4. Molecular docking showed that ACBA has a good binding affinity for CCR1. Furthermore, compared with CCR1 inhibitor BX-471, The results of molecular simulation dynamics showed that ACBA was stable in binding with CCR1. Consistently, ACBA remarkably downregulated the expression of CCR1, p-NF-κBp65, p-IκBα, p-STAT1 and TNF-α proteins, which were upregulated in CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis and LPS-THP-1 cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ACBA significantly attenuated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in histopathological and in serum level. This effect may be mediated by CCR1, NF-κB and STAT1 signalling.

Transcript annotation of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) using Iso-seq and RNA-seq data.

Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) is a critically endangered fish inhabiting the Yangtze River and Chinese coastal waters. Numerous research projects and conservation efforts have focused on artificial propagation and release to restore this endangered species. However, genomic and full-length transcriptomic sequencing of Chinese sturgeon has rarely been reported. In this study, a total of 10 Chinese sturgeon tissues were used for PacBio Iso-seq and RNA-seq analyses. A total of 19,538 full-length transcripts were obtained with sizes from 51 bp to 7,033 bp. Moreover, cluster analysis of gene families and phylogenetic analysis of 14 species were performed. Furthermore, lncRNAs and coding sequence (CDS) were identified in all Chinese sturgeon tissues. Finally, gene expression profiles and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed among 10 tissues in Chinese sturgeon. Taken together, full-length transcripts and the gene expression profile from Chinese sturgeon tissues will provide gene sequences and expression information for future functional genomic study and be very helpful for comprehensive understanding of the genetic mechanism of endangerment in Chinese sturgeon.

Natural compounds targeting mitochondrial dysfunction: emerging therapeutics for target organ damage in hypertension.

Hypertension generally causes target organ damage (TOD) in the heart, brain, kidney, and blood vessels. This can result in atherosclerosis, plaque formation, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and renal failure. Recent studies have indicated that mitochondrial dysfunction is crucial in hypertensive target organ damage. Consequently, mitochondria-targeted therapies attract increasing attention. Natural compounds are valuable resources for drug discovery and development. Many studies have demonstrated that natural compounds can ameliorate mitochondrial dysfunction in hypertensive target organ damage. This review examines the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to the development of target organ damage in hypertension. Moreover, it summarizes therapeutic strategies based on natural compounds that target mitochondrial dysfunction, which may be beneficial for preventing and treating hypertensive target organ damage.

Pollutant impacts on bacteria in surface water and sediment: Conventional versus emerging pollutants in Taihu Lake, China.

Bacteria play a critical role in biogeochemical cycling, self-purification, and food web fueling in surface freshwater ecosystems. However, the comparison between the impacts of conventional and emerging pollutants on the bacteria in surface water and sediment remains unclear and requires for an in-depth understanding to assess ecological risk and select associated bioindicators. Taihu Lake, a typical shallow lake in China, was divided into pollutant impacted and less-impacted zones for sampling. Spatial distributions of conventional pollutants, emerging pharmaceuticals, and bacterial communities were investigated in surface water and sediment. The correlations of pollutants with bacterial communities and the variations in bacterial functions were analyzed to help assess the pollutant influences on bacteria. The results showed that the water quality index and trophic level index across the whole lake were at medium to good, and mesotropher to light eutropher grades, respectively, indicating a relatively good control on conventional pollutants in water. Target pharmaceuticals were at much higher concentrations in water of the impacted zone compared to the less-impacted zone, exhibiting close positive relationships with the bacterial phyla in the impacted water. The ratio of Firmicutes to Proteobacteria in surface water is suggested as a plausible bioindicator to evaluate the level of inflow pharmaceutical contamination and the risk of relevant bacterial resistance in the outflow. In sediment, no significant difference was observed for pharmaceuticals between the two zones, whereas total phosphorus and orthophosphate were substantially higher in the impacted zone. Phosphorus pollutants were tightly associated with the bacterial genera in the impacted sediment, likely relating to the increase in iron- or sulfate-reducing bacteria which implies the potential risk of phosphorus releasing from sediment to water.

Nitrogen fixation of Cyndon dactylon: A possible strategy coping with long-term flooding in the Three Gorges Reservoir.

The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is one of the largest hydropower projects around the world which greatly alters the ecological function of the original ecosystem. The riparian zone of TGR is subject to a frequent fluctuation of water level, leading to severe nitrogen loss by leaching. Cyndon dactylon, a perennial stress tolerant plant, is one of the dominant plant species in the riparian zone of TGR. The underlying mechanism that C. dactylon can survive the nitrogen limitation has been under debate. In this study, we sampled the plant tissues of C. dactylon and the surrounding soils across different water levels and seasons in the riparian zone of TGR to explore the possible strategy for them to mining nitrogen. Our study found that the C. dactylon in the TGR riparian zone had endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, particularly enriched in the plant foliage. The abundance of endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria was significantly negatively correlated with soil ammonia, nitrate, and organic matter, and significantly positively correlated with total phosphorous and moisture content. The endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in C. dactylon were highly diverse, with Proteobacteria as the main dominant genera. The mutual cooperation mode among bacterial species made the endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria community of C. dactylon more resilient to environmental pressure, thus more readily adapting to conditions of repeated long-term flooding in the riparian zone of the TGR.

Shorebirds-driven trophic cascade helps restore coastal wetland multifunctionality.

Ecosystem restoration has traditionally focused on re-establishing vegetation and other foundation species at basal trophic levels, with mixed outcomes. Here, we show that threatened shorebirds could be important to restoring coastal wetland multifunctionality. We carried out surveys and manipulative field experiments in a region along the Yellow Sea affected by the invasive cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. We found that planting native plants alone failed to restore wetland multifunctionality in a field restoration experiment. Shorebird exclusion weakened wetland multifunctionality, whereas mimicking higher predation before shorebird population declines by excluding their key prey - crab grazers - enhanced wetland multifunctionality. The mechanism underlying these effects is a simple trophic cascade, whereby shorebirds control crab grazers that otherwise suppress native vegetation recovery and destabilize sediments (via bioturbation). Our findings suggest that harnessing the top-down effects of shorebirds - through habitat conservation, rewilding, or temporary simulation of consumptive or non-consumptive effects - should be explored as a nature-based solution to restoring the multifunctionality of degraded coastal wetlands.

Differences in soil physicochemical properties and rhizosphere microbial communities of flue-cured tobacco at different transplantation stages and locations.

Rhizosphere microbiota play an important role in regulating soil physical and chemical properties and improving crop production performance. This study analyzed the relationship between the diversity of rhizosphere microbiota and the yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco at different transplant times (D30 group, D60 group and D90 group) and in different regions [Linxiang Boshang (BS) and Linxiang ZhangDuo (ZD)] by high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that there were significant differences in the physicochemical properties and rhizosphere microbiota of flue-cured tobacco rhizosphere soil at different transplanting times, and that the relative abundance of Bacillus in the rhizosphere microbiota of the D60 group was significantly increased. RDA and Pearson correlation analysis showed that Bacillus, Streptomyces and Sphingomonas were significantly correlated with soil physical and chemical properties. PIGRUSt2 function prediction results showed that compared with the D30 group, the D60 group had significantly increased metabolic pathways such as the superpathway of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleoside salvage, allantoin degradation to glyoxylate III and pyrimidine deoxyribonucleotides de novo biosynthesis III metabolic pathways. The D90 group had significantly increased metabolic pathways such as ubiquitol-8 biosynthesis (prokaryotic), ubiquitol-7 biosynthesis (prokaryotic) and ubiquitol-10 biosynthesis (prokaryotic) compared with the D60 group. In addition, the yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco in the BS region were significantly higher than those in the ZD region, and the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacillus in the rhizosphere microbiota of flue-cured tobacco in the BS region at the D60 transplant stage was significantly higher than that in the ZD region. In addition, the results of the hierarchical sample metabolic pathway abundance map showed that the PWY-6572 metabolic pathway was mainly realized by Paenibacillus, and that the relative abundance of flue-cured tobacco rhizosphere microbiota (Paenibacillus) participating in PWY-6572 in the D60 transplant period in the BS region was significantly higher than that in the ZD region. In conclusion, different transplanting periods of flue-cured tobacco have important effects on soil physical and chemical properties and rhizosphere microbial communities. There were significant differences in the rhizosphere microbiota and function of flue-cured tobacco in different regions, which may affect the performance and quality of this type of tobacco.

Biology of cyclooxygenase-2: An application in depression therapeutics.

Depressive Disorder is a common mood disorder or affective disorder that is dominated by depressed mood. It is characterized by a high incidence and recurrence. The onset of depression is related to genetic, biological and psychosocial factors. However, the pathogenesis is still unclear. In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research on the inflammatory hypothesis of depression, in which cyclo-oxygen-ase 2 (COX-2), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is closely associated with depression. A variety of chemical drugs and natural products have been found to exert therapeutic effects by modulating COX-2 levels. This paper summarizes the relationship between COX-2 and depression in terms of neuroinflammation, intestinal flora, neurotransmitters, HPA axis, mitochondrial dysfunction and hippocampal neuronal damage, which can provide a reference for further preventive control, clinical treatment and scientific research on depression.