The contamination of Cd and Cu in soil is a great threat to medicinal plant. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) is a potential soil pH adjuster to reduce metal toxicity. However, how GGBS ...affects the quality and yield of herbal plants under the stress of Cd and Cu is not clear. This study aims to investigate the quality and yield of a medicinal plant (Pseudostellaria heterophylla) responding to GGBS treatment in Cd and Cu contaminated soil. GGBS with three mass percentages (0%, 3%, 5%) was added into contaminated lateritic soils for planting. Each condition had 21 replicated seedlings. The concentrations of Cd and Cu in plant, amounts of active ingredients (polysaccarides and saponins) in medicinal organ, and tuber properties were measured after harvest. The results showed that under 3% and 5% GGBS treatments, Cd and Cu accumulations in all plant organs (leaf, stem, root and tuber) were reduced by 69.4–86.0% and 10.3–30.1%, respectively. They were below the permissible limits (World Health Organization, WHO). Even though the concentrations of active ingredients in P. heterophylla tuber decreased by up to 35.8%, they still met Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica standard. Besides, the biomass of root tuber increased by 9.8% and 46%, due to 3% and 5% GGBS treatments, respectively. The recommended 5% GGBS treatment in practice can balance the reduction of active ingredients and the increase of plant yield when minimizing Cd and Cu accumulation in tuber.
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•The accumulation of Cd and Cu in plant reduces significantly under GGBS treatment.•The reduction of Cu concentration in plant organ is less significant than that of Cd.•The concentration of active ingredients decreases with an increasing GGBS percentage.•An application of 5% GGBS increases the yield by up to 46%, as compared with control.•GGBS application is recommended for P. heterophylla against metal toxicity.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most frequently observed forms of cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly thought to play a key role in regulating the onset and progression of a wide ...range of cancer types. In the present report, we found that miR-455-5p expression was significantly decreased in both HCC patient tumor tissues and cell lines, and that this reduction in expression was linked to poorer patient outcomes. When we overexpressed miR-455-5p in HCC cell lines (Huh7 and HepG2), this was linked with impaired proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. We further found that this miRNA was able to directly bind the insulin growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) 3′-untranslated region, thereby suppressing IGF-1R expression in HCC cells. Consistent with this, miR-455-5p overexpression was associated with reduced glucose transporter (GLUT) 1 expression, which in turn inhibited HCC cell uptake of glucose, production of lactate, and generation of ATP. Together these results thus indicate that mIR-455-5p is able to suppress tumor functionality via impairing glycolysis in HCC cells, highlighting this miRNA as a potential target for anti-cancer therapeutic interventions.
Abstract MAPK signaling pathways are crucial in regulating osteogenesis, a genetic disorder affecting the bones. Quercitrin, a type of flavonoid, is widely distributed in nature and involved in many ...pharmacological activities. But its osteoprotective functions and mechanism in osteoporosis are far from being understood clearly. In this paper, the MAPK upregulation was observed in the ovariectomy-induced bone loss. Quercitrin was found to downregulate MAPK signaling pathways and prevent the ovariectomy-induced deterioration of bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular microstructure, and bone mechanical characteristics. In this study, quercitrin was seen to prevent the progression of the postmenopausal osteoporosis among the rats, which may be mediated by the downregulated MAPK signaling pathways.
Phosphorus (P) deficiency in agricultural soil is a worldwide concern. P modification of biochar, a common soil conditioner produced by pyrolysis of wastes and residues, can increase P availability ...and improve soil quality. This study aims to investigate the effects of P-modified biochar as a soil amendment on the growth and quality of a medicinal plant (Pseudostellaria heterophylla). P. heterophylla were grown for 4 months in lateritic soil amended with P-modified and unmodified biochar (peanut shell) at dosages of 0, 3% and 5% (by mass). Compared with unmodified biochar, P-modified biochar reduced available heavy metal Cd in soil by up to 73.0% and osmotic suction in the root zone by up to 49.3%. P-modified biochar application at 3% and 5% promoted the tuber yield of P. heterophylla significantly by 68.6% and 136.0% respectively. This was different from that in unmodified biochar treatment, where tuber yield was stimulated at 3% dosage but inhibited at 5% dosage. The concentrations of active ingredients (i.e., polysaccharides, saponins) in tuber were increased by 2.9-78.8% under P-modified biochar amendment compared with control, indicating the better tuber quality. This study recommended the application of 5% P-modified biochar for promoting the yield and quality of P. heterophylla.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-RI) is a rare but increasingly recognized subtype of CAA. CAA-RI consists of two subtypes: inflammatory cerebral amyloid angiopathy and amyloid β ...(Aβ)-related angiitis. Acute or subacute onset of cognitive decline or behavioral changes is the most common symptom of CAA-RI. Rapid progressive dementia, headache, seizures, or focal neurological deficits, with patchy or confluent hyperintensity on T2 or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences and evidence of strictly lobar microbleeds or cortical superficial siderosis on susceptibility-weighted imaging imply CAA-RI. The gold standard for diagnosis is autopsy or brain biopsy. However, biopsy is invasive; consequently, most clinically diagnosed cases have been based on clinical and radiological data. Other diagnostic indexes include the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele, Aβ and anti-Aβ antibodies in cerebral spinal fluid and amyloid positron emission tomography. Many diseases with similar clinical manifestations should be carefully ruled out. Immunosuppressive therapy is effective both during initial presentation and in relapses. The use of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants improves prognosis. This article reviews the pathology and pathogenesis, clinical and imaging manifestations, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prognosis of CAA-RI, and highlights unsolved problems in the existing research.
We use ab initio evolutionary algorithm and first-principles calculations to investigate structural, electronic, vibrational, and superconducting properties of two-dimensional (2D) boron allotropes. ...Remarkably, we show that conventional BCS superconductivity in the stable 2D boron structures is ubiquitous with the critical temperature T sub(c) above the liquid hydrogen temperature for certain configurations. Due to the electronic states of the Fermi surface originating from both sigma and pi electrons, the superconductivity of the 2D structures arises from multiple phonon modes. Our results support that 2D boron structure may be a pure single-element material with the highest T sub(c) on conditions without high pressure and external strain.
The industrial synthesis of ammonia (NH
) using iron-based Haber-Bosch catalyst requires harsh reaction conditions. Developing advanced catalysts that perform well at mild conditions (<400 °C, <2 ...MPa) for industrial application is a long-term goal. Here we report a Co-N-C catalyst with high NH
synthesis rate that simultaneously exhibits dynamic and steady-state active sites. Our studies demonstrate that the atomically dispersed cobalt weakly coordinated with pyridine N reacts with surface H
to produce NH
via a chemical looping pathway. Pyrrolic N serves as an anchor to stabilize the single cobalt atom in the form of Co
-N
that facilitates N
adsorption and step-by-step hydrogenation of N
to *HNNH, *NH-NH
and *NH
-NH
. Finally, NH
is facilely generated via the breaking of the *NH
-NH
bond. With the co-existence of dynamic and steady-state single atom active sites, the Co-N-C catalyst circumvents the bottleneck of N
dissociation, making the synthesis of NH
at mild conditions possible.
Although the quiescent center (QC) is crucial to root development, the molecular mechanisms that regulate its postembryonic maintenance remain obscure. In this study, a semi‐dominant mutant that ...exhibits pleiotropic defects in root tissues, which includes the root cap, lateral and crown roots, was isolated. The mutant is characterized by a loss of QC identity during postembryonic development, and the displayed defects result from a stabilizing mutation in domain II of OsIAA23 (Os06g39590). Expression of OsIAA23 is specific to the QC of the root tip during the development of primary, lateral and crown roots. Consistent with OsIAA23 expression in the QC, the auxin signaling marked by DR5p::GUS (ß‐glucuronidase) was absent in the QC region of Osiaa23. Transgenic rice plants harboring Osiaa23 under the control of the QHB promoter mimic partially the defects of Osiaa23. These results indicate that the maintenance of the QC is dependent on OsIAA23‐mediated auxin signaling in the QC. These findings provide insight into Aux/IAA‐based auxin signaling during postembryonic maintenance of the QC in plants.
A series of Co/CeO2 catalysts with different morphology of CeO2 support were prepared. It was shown that part of Co species could be introduced into the CeO2 lattice and thus a new CoO bonding would ...be created for the ceria-supported Co catalysts. The morphology of CeO2 was found to affect the reduction of both the cobalt oxides and CeO2. A larger amount of CeO2 was reduced in the case of Co supported on polyhedral CeO2. Catalytic tests showed that the higher concentration of Ce3+ and the lower binding energy of Co species present in the catalyst are key factors that led to higher ammonia synthesis rates for the Co/CeO2 catalysts.
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•Co catalysts supported on polyhedral CeO2, CeO2 nanorods and hexagonal CeO2 were prepared.•The morphology of CeO2 affected the reduction of cobalt oxides and CeO2.•Co/CeO2 catalyst with polyhedral CeO2 had highest Ce3+ concentration and lowest Co 3p3/2 value.•Higher concentration of Ce3+ and lower binding energy of Co species led to higher rates.
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