Normal table of embryonic development in the Anji salamander Hynobius amjiensis (Hynobiidae).

We established a normal embryonic development table for the Anji salamander Hynobius amjiensis, a critically endangered tailed amphibian of the family Hynobiidae with a very limited distribution in East China, following the standards set by the early developmental table of vertebrates. Put together 32 embryonic stages for the Anji salamander was defined. The total embryonic period from oviposition to hatching is approximately 30 days at 9 °C. Stages 1-16 represent early development from cleavage to neurulation. Stages 17-32 represent organogenesis documenting later developmental events such as tail, gill, and limb formation, and hatching (Stage 32). We provided a detailed description of the external morphology and color changes of the head, trunk, limbs, tail, external gills, and balancers at various stages from egg-laying to hatching. We also described several cases of abnormal embryonic development. The establishment of the embryonic development table in H. amjiensis contributes to better understanding of the ontogeny in tailed amphibians, distinguishing closely related species, and identifying abnormal embryonic amphibians.

Role of oxidative stress in the concurrent development of osteoporosis and tendinopathy: Emerging challenges and prospects for treatment modalities.

Both osteoporosis and tendinopathy are widely prevalent disorders, encountered in diverse medical contexts. Whilst each condition has distinct pathophysiological characteristics, they share several risk factors and underlying causes. Notably, oxidative stress emerges as a crucial intersecting factor, playing a pivotal role in the onset and progression of both diseases. This imbalance arises from a dysregulation in generating and neutralising reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to an abnormal oxidative environment. Elevated levels of ROS can induce multiple cellular disruptions, such as cytotoxicity, apoptosis activation and reduced cell function, contributing to tissue deterioration and weakening the structural integrity of bones and tendons. Antioxidants are substances that can prevent or slow down the oxidation process, including Vitamin C, melatonin, resveratrol, anthocyanins and so on, demonstrating potential in treating these overlapping disorders. This comprehensive review aims to elucidate the complex role of oxidative stress within the interlinked pathways of these comorbid conditions. By integrating contemporary research and empirical findings, our objective is to outline new conceptual models and innovative treatment strategies for effectively managing these prevalent diseases. This review underscores the importance of further in-depth research to validate the efficacy of antioxidants and traditional Chinese medicine in treatment plans, as well as to explore targeted interventions focused on oxidative stress as promising areas for future medical advancements.

Improvement of karst soil nutrients by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi through promoting nutrient release from the litter.

How arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi affect litter nutrient release and soil properties in the nutrient-deficient karst soil, is unclear. An experiment was conducted in this study using a dual compartment device composed of a planting compartment (for the Cinnamomum camphora seedlings with or without Funneliformis mosseae fungus) and a litter compartment (with or without the litter of Arthraxon hispidus). The center baffle between the compartments was covered with a double layer of 20-µm or 0.45-µm nylon mesh, which controlled the entrance of AM mycelium into the litter compartment. The results are as follows: AM mycelium significantly increased the mass loss and carbon and nitrogen releases and decreased the nitrogen concentration in the litter. AM mycelium could significantly increase soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and availability of phosphorus during litter decomposition in the litter compartment. Redundancy analysis showed that the effect of AM mycelium on the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen in the litter compartment was closely associated with the increase in carbon and nitrogen release from litter. It was concluded that AM mycelium can enhance litter decomposition and nutrient releases, contributing to greater nutrient input to the soil and then subsequently higher soil organic carbon and nutrient content in the nutrient-poor karst soils. STATEMENT OF NOVELTYThis study firstly estimated the impacts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on litter nutrient releases and soil properties through root external mycelium.

Exercise-augmented THSD7B exhibited a positive prognostic implication and tumor-suppressed functionality in pan-cancer.

Background: Breast cancer, one of the most prevalent malignancies among women worldwide, has rising incidence rates. Physical activity, particularly exercise, has emerged as a significant modifier of cancer prognosis, influencing both tumor biology and patient outcomes. Methods: In this study, we utilized a murine breast cancer model, dividing mice into a control group and an exercise group; the latter underwent 21 days of voluntary running. We conducted RNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, pan-cancer analysis, and cellular experiments to investigate the underlying mechanisms influenced by exercise. Results: Exercise led to a significant reduction in tumor size and weight. Post-exercise mRNA sequencing indicated a notable upregulation of THSD7B in the exercised mice, with significant alterations observed in pathways such as MicroRNAs in cancers and the Calcium signaling pathway. In a broader cancer context, THSD7B showed considerable expression variability, being significantly downregulated in several cancers, correlating with positive prognostic outcomes in PRAD, LAML, KIRC, and GBM and highlighting its potential role as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target. THSD7B expression was also negatively associated with processes of breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conclusion: This study underscores the dual role of exercise in modulating gene expression relevant to tumor growth and highlights the potential of THSD7B as a therapeutic target in cancer. Future research should further explore the specific mechanisms by which exercise and THSD7B influence cancer progression and develop immunotherapy-enhanced strategies to change patient outcomes in clinical settings.

Mandarin Chinese L1 and L2 complex sentence reading reveals a consistent electrophysiological pattern of highly interactive syntactic and semantic processing: An ERP study.

Introduction: A hallmark of the human language faculty is processing complex hierarchical syntactic structures across languages. However, for Mandarin Chinese, a language typically dependent on semantic combinations and free of morphosyntactic information, the relationship between syntactic and semantic processing during Chinese complex sentence reading is unclear. From the neuropsychological perspective of bilingual studies, whether second language (L2) learners can develop a consistent pattern of target language (i.e., L2) comprehension regarding the interplay of syntactic and semantic processing, especially when their first language (L1) and L2 are typologically distinct, remains to be determined. In this study, Chinese complex sentences with center-embedded relative clauses were generated. By utilizing the high-time-resolution technique of event-related potentials (ERPs), this study aimed to investigate the processing relationships between syntactic and semantic information during Chinese complex sentence reading in both Chinese L1 speakers and highly proficient L2 learners from South Korea. Methods: Normal, semantically violated (SEM), and double-violated (containing both semantic and syntactic violations, SEM + SYN) conditions were set with regard to the nonadjacent dependencies of the Chinese complex sentence, and participants were required to judge whether the sentences they read were acceptable. Results: The ERP results showed that sentences with "SEM + SYN" did not elicit early left anterior negativity (ELAN), a component assumed to signal initial syntactic processing, but evoked larger components in the N400 and P600 windows than those of the "SEM" condition, thus exhibiting a biphasic waveform pattern consistent for both groups and in line with previous studies using simpler Chinese syntactic structures. The only difference between the L1 and L2 groups was that L2 learners presented later latencies of the corresponding ERP components. Discussion: Taken together, these results do not support the temporal and functional priorities of syntactic processing as identified in morphologically rich languages (e.g., German) and converge on the notion that even for Chinese complex sentence reading, syntactic and semantic processing are highly interactive. This is consistent across L1 speakers and high-proficiency L2 learners with typologically different language backgrounds.

Steric-hindrance effect and self-sacrificing template behavior induced PDA@SnO2-QDs/N-doped carbon hollow nanospheres: Enhanced structural stability and reaction kinetics for long-cyclic Li-ion half/full batteries.

Tin-based anode materials with high theoretical specific capacity are subject to huge volume expansion and poor reaction reversibility, leading to degradation of battery performance. Herein, the steric-hindrance effect and self-sacrificing template behavior of polydopamine were firstly developed to induce the formation of hollow nanospheres assembled by ultrafine SnO2 quantum dots (SnO2-QDs) and nitrogen-doped carbon (NC), containing residual polydopamine (PDA) cores. The PDA@SnO2-QDs/NC hollow nanospheres could effectively accommodate the volume expansion and maintain structural stability. More importantly, the PDA core could capture oxygen free radicals produced by the charge/discharge process and be involved in the evolution of the SEI layer, achieving enhanced electrochemical reaction kinetics. The optimized PDA@SnO2-QDs/NC anode shows a specific capacity of 898 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles at 0.3 A g-1, and scarcely capacity attenuation after 1500 cycles at 1 A g-1. The long-cyclic life is up to 3000 cycles at 3 A g-1. Even after 200 cycles, the anode in the PDA@SnO2-QDs/NC||LFP full battery gives a reversible capacity of 489 mAh g-1 at 0.3 A g-1, with a capacity retention of 77 %. This work casts new light on tin-based anode materials and interface optimization.