Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with the properties of structural stability, semi–volatility, and hydrophobicity are toxic and persistent in environments; thus, their transport and fate in ...agroecosystems is essential for reducing PAH accumulation in the edible parts of crops. Here, we cultivated cabbages (Brassica pekinensis L.) and carrots (Daucus carota L.) in PAH–contaminated soils under the greenhouse and field conditions. After harvesting, we observed a 9.5–46% reduction in soil ∑PAH concentrations. There were 37% of bioconcentration factors (BCFbs) > 1 and 93% of translocation factors (TFab) > 1, while low–molecular–weight (LMW) PAHs had higher BCFbs than high–molecular–weight (HMW) PAHs. The PAH concentrations showed significant and positive correlations among soils, the belowground parts, and the aboveground parts. The toxicity equivalent concentration (TEQBaP) followed the order of cabbage (greenhouse) > cabbage (field) > carrot (greenhouse) > carrot (field), suggesting potentially higher health risks in cabbage relative to carrot and vegetables under the greenhouse relative to field condition. Our study suggested growing carrots under field conditions as a management strategy for reducing the risks of vegetables grown in PAH–contaminated soils.
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•Soil ∑PAH concentrations decreased by 9.5–46% after harvesting.•LMW PAHs (2–4 ring) had higher BCFbs than HMW PAHs (5–6 ring).•More than 93% of TFab were higher than 1.•Cabbages had potentially higher health risks relative to carrots.•The health risks of vegetables were higher in the greenhouse than in the field.
Synopsis, The PAH concentrations were significantly and positively correlated among soil, the belowground parts, and the aboveground parts of carrots and cabbages under both greenhouse and field conditions, presenting the potentially reduced bioaccumulation from soils to belowground parts with the increase in the number of aromatic rings.
Herein, hollow porous CuO–CuCo2O4 dodecahedrons are synthesized by using a simple self-sacrificial metal–organic framework (MOF) template, which resulted in dodecahedron morphology with ...hierarchically porous architecture. When evaluated as a cathodic electrocatalyst in lithium–oxygen batteries, the CuO–CuCo2O4 composite exhibits a significantly enhanced electrochemical performance, delivering an initial capacity of 6844 mA h g−1 with a remarkably decreased discharge/charge overpotential to 1.15 V (vs. Li/Li+) at a current density of 100 mA g−1 and showing excellent cyclic stability up to 111 charge/discharge cycles under a cut-off capacity of 1000 mA h g−1 at 400 mA g−1. The outstanding electrochemical performance of CuO–CuCo2O4 composite can be owing to the intrinsic catalytic activity, unique porous structure and the presence of substantial electrocatalytic sites. The ex situ XRD and SEM are also carried out to reveal the charge/discharge behavior and demonstrate the excellent reversibility of the CuO–CuCo2O4 based electrode.
Diapause is an adaptive dormancy strategy by which arthropods endure extended periods of adverse climatic conditions. Seasonal variation in larval diapause initiation and duration in Ostrinia ...furnacalis may influence adult mating generation number (voltinism) across different local environments. The degree to which voltine ecotype, geographic distance, or other ecological factors influence O. furnacalis population genetic structure remains uncertain. Genetic differentiation was estimated between voltine ecotypes collected from 8 locations. Mitochondrial haplotypes were significantly different between historically allopatric univoltine and bivoltine locations, but confounded by a strong correlation with geographic distance. In contrast, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes show low but significant levels of variation and a lack of influence of geographic distance between allopatric voltine locations. Regardless, 11 of 257 SNP loci were predicted to be under selection, suggesting population genetic homogenization except at loci proximal to factors putatively under selection. These findings provide evidence of haplotype divergent voltine ecotypes that may be maintained in allopatric and sympatric areas despite relatively high rates of nuclear gene flow, yet influence of voltinism on maintenance of observed haplotype divergence remains unresolved.
The Asian corn borer (ACB) is a major pest insect of cultivated maize throughout China, including Jilin Province where ecotypes of this species differ in voltine traits. The distribution of significant mitochondrial haplotype and nuclear genetic variation among sample locations suggests geography and voltinism are factors influencing contemporary ACB genetic structure in Jilin Province.
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797), known as an important agricultural pest around the world, is indigenous to the tropical–subtropical regions in the Western ...Hemisphere, although its distribution has expanded over large parts of America, Africa, Asia and Oceania in the last few years. The pest causes considerable costs annually coupled with its strong invasion propensity. Temperature is identified as the dominant abiotic factor affecting herbivorous insects. Several efforts have reported that temperature directly or indirectly influences the geographic distribution, phenology and natural enemies of the poikilothermal FAW, and thus may affect the damage to crops, e.g., the increased developmental rate accelerates the intake of crops at higher temperatures. Under some extreme temperatures, the FAW is likely to regulate various genes expression in response to environmental changes, which causes a wider viability and possibility of invasion threat. Therefore, this paper seeks to review and critically consider the variations of developmental indicators, the relationships between the FAW and its natural enemies and the temperature tolerance throughout its developmental stage at varying levels of heat/cold stress. Based on this, we discuss more environmentally friendly and economical control measures, we put forward future challenges facing climate change, we further offer statistical basics and instrumental guidance significance for informing FAW pest forecasting, risk analyses and a comprehensive management program for effective control globally.
Excessive drinking is one of the main causes of liver cancer. In the process of alcohol metabolism, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is the key enzyme of acetaldehyde metabolism. ALDH2 gene ...deficiency is positively associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no studies have shown a connection between ALDH2 and another metabolic regulatory gene, SLC3A2. In this study, we analyzed the expression levels of ALDH2 and SLC3A2 in liver cancer tissues based on the TCGA database. Subsequently, we constructed ALDH2 knockout and SLC3A2 knock-in transgenic mice to check the roles of ALDH2 and SLC3A2 in tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, we examined the mechanisms of ALDH2 and SLC3A2 in HCC cells using small RNA interference technology. Consistent with previous studies, we also confirmed the functions of ALDH2 in inhibiting hepatocarcinogenesis, while SLC3A2 had the opposite effect. The main finding of this study is that ALDH2 inhibited BSG expression through the TGF-β1 pathway, which indirectly inhibited SLC3A2 expression; subsequently, the sphingolipid metabolism pathway was also inhibited in HCC cells. Therefore, SLC3A2 is a novel target for HCC treatment.
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•ALDH2 in inhibiting hepatocarcinogenesis, while SLC3A2 had the opposite effect.•ALDH2 indirectly inhibited SLC3A2 expression through the TGF-β1 pathway.•SLC3A2 knockdown inhibited the sphingolipid metabolism pathway in liver cancer.
The current study was designed to explore the brain protection mechanism of Xinglou Chengqi Decoction (XCD) based on gut microbiota analysis and network pharmacology. A transient middle cerebral ...artery occlusion (MCAO) model of mice was established, followed by behavioral evaluation, TTC and TUNEL staining. Additionally, to investigate the effects of gut microbiota on neurological function after stroke, C57BL/6 mice were treated with anti-biotic cocktails 14 days prior to ischemic stroke (IS) to deplete the gut microbiota. High-throughput 16S rDNA gene sequencing, metabonomics technique, and flow multifactor technology were used to analyze bacterial communities, SCFAs and inflammatory cytokines respectively. Finally, as a supplement, network pharmacology and molecular docking were applied to fully explore the multicomponent-multitarget-multichannel mechanism of XCD in treating IS, implicated in ADME screening, target identification, network analysis, functional annotation, and pathway enrichment analysis. We found that XCD effectively improved neurological function, relieved cerebral infarction and decreased the neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, XCD promoted the release of anti-inflammatory factor like IL-10, while down-regulating pro-inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-17A, and IL-22. Furthermore, XCD significantly increased the levels of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially butyric acid. The mechanism might be related to the regulation of SCFAs-producing bacteria like Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia, and bacteria that regulate inflammation like Paraprevotella, Roseburia, Streptophyta and Enterococcu. Finally, in the network pharmacological analysis, 51 active compounds in XCD and 44 intersection targets of IS and XCD were selected. As a validation, components in XCD docked well with key targets. It was obviously that biological processes were mainly involved in the regulation of apoptotic process, inflammatory response, response to fatty acid, and regulation of establishment of endothelial barrier in GO enrichment. XCD can improve neurological function in experimental stroke mice, partly due to the regulation of gut microbiota. Besises, XCD has the characteristic of “multi-component, multi-target and multi-channel” in the treatment of IS revealed by network pharmacology and molecular docking.
Aims
To investigate the clinicopathological and molecular features of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) in Taiwan and the association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) ...and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV).
Methods and results
We investigated retrospectively 26 cases with a median age of 76.5. Only one (4%) patient was infected with HIV. Cytologically, all lymphoma cells revealed typical immunoblastic to plasmablastic morphology. Immunohistochemically, HHV8 was positive in eight (32%) tumours and negative in 17 (68%) cases. All 23 tested cases examined were of the non‐germinal‐centre B cell phenotype. MYC proto‐oncogene (MYC) and Epstein–Barr encoding mRNA (EBER) were positive in 43% (nine of 21) and 17% (four of 23) cases, respectively. Immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH), B cell lymphoma (BCL)2, BCL6 and MYC were rearranged in 71%, 11%, 12% and 18% cases, respectively. By univariate analysis, the overall survival (OS) was associated statistically with MYC expression (P = 0.012) and BCL2 rearrangement (P = 0.035), but not with the others. By multivariate analysis, no factor was statistically significant. Compared to the HHV8‐negative cases, the HHV8‐positive cases were mainly of the plasmablastic immunophenotype expressing CD30 and CD138, and with a less frequent expression of pan‐B cell markers.
Conclusions
Apart from the phenotypical difference, our HHV8‐positive neoplasms were not distinct from the HHV8‐negative group. Literature review of 256 cases, including our cases, revealed that HHV8‐positive cases were associated more frequently with HIV and EBV infection, with rare MYC rearrangement, and a poorer prognosis than HHV8‐negative cases. We propose to name the HHV8‐positive cases as ‘classical’ or ‘type I PEL’ and the HHV8‐negative cases as ‘type II PEL’, stressing the similarities and the distinctive features between these two groups.
Background and Objectives: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement is the most common treatment for cerebrospinal fluid diversion. Head and neck pain occurring after a long period following VP ...shunt insertion is rarely reported. Here, we present a rare case of head and neck pain occurring 2 years after surgery due to irritation of the superficial cervical plexus by the VP shunt. Case Description: A 46-year-old female patient received VP shunt placement surgery. Two years after the surgery, she experienced a left temporal headache with neck pain on the left side, which extended to the left para-auricular and fascial region. Ultrasound (US) scanning revealed that the VP shunt passed within the superficial cervical fascia and through the left sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM). Additionally, friction of the branches of the superficial cervical plexus and of the greater auricular and lesser occipital nerves caused by the VP shunt was found underneath the lateral border of the SCM. Subsequently, the blocking and hydro-release of the left superficial cervical plexus were performed. After four series of treatments, the patient’s head and neck pain vanished, and the frequency of the headaches was substantially reduced. The patient was regularly followed-up in the outpatient department of neurosurgery. Conclusions: Head and neck pain caused by the malpositioning of a VP shunt catheter with an unusually delayed onset is a rarely reported complication and could be easily neglected. Patients with head and neck pain following VP shunt insertion should be checked using US scanning to identify the potential origin of the pain and receive adequate treatments. Intraoperative US-guided tunnelling is suggested to avoid the malpositioning of the VP shunt catheter.
Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) is a marrow‐based lymphoma, rarely involving extramedullary sites, particularly the pleural cavities. The distinction of lymphomatous pleural effusion (PE) in LPL ...patients from benign effusion is challenging. We conducted this study to examine whether MYD88 L265P mutation analysis is useful in distinguishing benign from lymphomatous PE in four patients with LPL, in which the initial marrow specimens were all positive for MYD88 mutation. In one case each with plasma cell‐ or lymphocyte‐predominant PE, MYD88 mutation was positive, confirming lymphomatous effusion. The other lymphocyte‐predominant PE was negative for MYD88 mutation, but was clonally related to a previous nodal biopsy and this PE was also considered to have LPL involvement. The fourth case developed large B‐cell lymphoma in the PE 30 months later. The PE specimen was negative for MYD88 mutation but was clonally related to the diagnostic marrow tissue, indicating large cell transformation. Four cases of small lymphocyte‐predominant benign PE from patients without history of lymphoma were examined and were all negative for MYD88 L265P mutation. In conclusion, in this small case series we showed that MYD88 L265P mutation analysis could serve as a useful adjunct in distinguishing benign from lymphomatous PE in patients with LPL.
Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a major polyphagous pest with the potential to seriously damage various crops. A better understanding of FAW's performance on different ...hosts may help to predict which plants will be attacked when the preferred host is absent, and facilitate the development of effective pest management practices. We compared the larval performance of FAW fed on maize with that of FAW fed on potato and tobacco, which are important crops in China, using an age‐stage two‐sex life table and adult female oviposition preference experiments. In cage experiments with potato, tobacco, or maize as the host, FAW reared on maize exhibited the strongest performance with shorter developmental time in the larval stage, longer longevity, and a higher reproductive rate in adults. Females oviposited on maize in preference to potato or tobacco. Compared with larvae fed on maize, those fed on potato and tobacco exhibited significantly lower survival, with only 31.61% and 8.13% developing to the adult stage, respectively. Several life table parameters, including the mean generation time (T), net reproductive rate (R0), finite rate of increase (λ), and intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) were negatively affected in FAW fed on potato and tobacco. Our results support the preference–performance hypothesis, that is, that herbivore females maximize fitness by choosing host plants associated with strong larval performance. Although larvae and adults performed poorly on potato and tobacco, their offspring will be capable of establishing populations on them, posing a potential threat to these crops in China.
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