It is imperative to derive an appropriate cadmium （Cd） health risk toxicity threshold for paddy soils to ensure the Cd con- centration of rice grains meet the food safety standard. In this study, 20 ...rice cultivars from the main rice producing areas in China were selected, and a pot-experiment was conducted to investigate transformation of Cd in paddy soil-rice system with 0 （CK）, 0.3 mg kg-1 （T1） and 0.6 mg kg-1（T2） Cd treatments in greenhouse. The results showed that Cd concentrations of rice grains existed significant difference （P〈0.05） in 20 rice cultivars under the same Cd level in soil. The Cd concentrations of rice grains of the CK, T1 and T2 treatments were in the range of 0.143-0.202, 0.128-0.458 and 0.332-0.806 mg kg-1, respectively. Marked differences of the ratios of Cd concentration for soil to rice grain （BCFs） and transfer factors （TFs, root to grain and straw to grain） among the tested cultivars were observed in this study. The bioconcentration factors （BCFgrain） and TFs of the 20 rice cultivars were 0.300-1.112 and 0.342-0.817, respectively. The TFs of Cd from straw to grain ranged from 0.366 to 1.71, with significant differences among these 20 rice cultivars. The bioconcentration factors （BCFgrain） and TFs among the 20 rice cultivars ranged from 0.300-1.112 and 0.342-0.817, respectively. The species-sensitivity distribu- tion （SSD） of Cd sensitivity of the rice species could be fitted well with Burr-Ill （R2=0.987） based on the data of BCFs. The toxicity threshold of Cd derived from SSD for the paddy soil was 0.507 mg kg-1 in the present study.
The family Orchidaceae is not only one of the most diverse families of flowering plants, but also one of the most endangered plant taxa. Therefore, understanding how its species richness varies along ...geographical and environmental gradients is essential for conservation efforts. However, such knowledge is rarely available, especially on a large scale. We used a database extracted from herbarium records to investigate the relationships between orchid species richness and elevation, and to examine how elevational diversity in Yunnan Province, China, might be explained by mid-domain effect (MDE), species-area relationship (SAR), water-energy dynamics (WED), Rapoport's Rule, and climatic variables. This particular location was selected because it is one of the primary centers of distribution for orchids. We recorded 691 species that span 127 genera and account for 88.59% of all confirmed orchid species in Yunnan. Species richness, estimated at 200-m intervals along a slope, was closely correlated with elevation, peaking at 1395 to 1723 m. The elevational pattern of orchid richness was considerably shaped by MDE, SAR, WED, and climate. Among those four predictors, climate was the strongest while MDE was the weakest for predicting the elevational pattern of orchid richness. Species richness showed parabolic responses to mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP), with maximum richness values recorded at 13.7 to 17.7°C for MAT and 1237 to 1414 mm for MAP. Rapoport's Rule also helped to explain the elevational pattern of species richness in Yunnan, but those influences were not entirely uniform across all methods. These results suggested that the elevational pattern of orchid species richness in Yunnan is collectively shaped by several mechanisms related to geometric constraints, size of the land area, and environments. Because of the dominant role of climate in determining orchid richness, our findings may contribute to a better understanding of the potential effects of climate change on orchid diversity, and the development of conservation strategies for orchids.
Following rapid social and economic development over the past several decades, soil pollution by heavy metals (HMs) has been both serious and widespread in China. The Soil Environmental Quality ...Standards (SEQSs) in China (GB 15618-1995) have been introduced to encourage and enforce sustainable soil HM management. However, in recent years, HM contents in soils have frequently been found to exceed their associated standard values, while the crops growing on them might still meet regulatory standards,and vice versa. There is thus growing awareness that GB 15618-1995 does not effectively regulate current soil HM pollution, as it has encountered bottlenecks, and disappointing outcomes caused by poor execution along with deficiencies and gaps in the policies. However, due to the deficiency of scientific research about relationships between soil HM concentrations and their ecological or human health effects, the development of SEQSs in China is still greatly restricted. This paper discusses international SEQSs of HMs as well their development in China over time, then examines current Chinese SEQSs to demonstrate their potential regulatory deficiencies by referring to international SEQSs. The corresponding legislative policies are described, and scientific information or responses are outlined for maintaining soil environmental quality. China's experience has shown that policy and science can be linked to work in tandem to better understand and manage soil quality issues.
Studies of gene rearrangements and the consequent oncogenic fusion proteins have laid the foundation for targeted cancer therapy. To identify oncogenic fusions associated with glioma progression, we ...catalogued fusion transcripts by RNA-seq of 272 gliomas. Fusion transcripts were more frequently found in high-grade gliomas, in the classical subtype of gliomas, and in gliomas treated with radiation/temozolomide. Sixty-seven in-frame fusion transcripts were identified, including three recurrent fusion transcripts: FGFR3-TACC3, RNF213-SLC26A11, and PTPRZ1-MET (ZM). Interestingly, the ZM fusion was found only in grade III astrocytomas (1/13; 7.7%) or secondary GBMs (sGBMs, 3/20; 15.0%). In an independent cohort of sGBMs, the ZM fusion was found in three of 20 (15%) specimens. Genomic analysis revealed that the fusion arose from translocation events involving introns 3 or 8 of PTPRZ and intron 1 of MET. ZM fusion transcripts were found in GBMs irrespective of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation status. sGBMs harboring ZM fusion showed higher expression of genes required for PIK3CA signaling and lowered expression of genes that suppressed RB1 or TP53 function. Expression of the ZM fusion was mutually exclusive with EGFR overexpression in sGBMs. Exogenous expression of the ZM fusion in the U87MG glioblastoma line enhanced cell migration and invasion. Clinically, patients afflicted with ZM fusion harboring glioblastomas survived poorly relative to those afflicted with non-ZM-harboring sGBMs (P < 0.001). Our study profiles the shifting RNA landscape of gliomas during progression and reveled ZM as a novel, recurrent fusion transcript in sGBMs.
Continued interest in bioactive alkaloids led to the isolation of four undescribed alkaloids along with 74 known ones from the aerial parts of Tabernaemontana bufalina Lour. The structures of the yet ...undescribed alkaloids were elucidated based on NMR, IR, UV, MS and CD spectroscopic data and X-ray crystal diffraction and, according to the plant source, named as taberhaines A–D (1–4). The known compounds comprised of 66 monoterpenoid indole, three carboline and five isoquinoline alkaloids. Among them, the known apparicine inhibited significantly the activity of xanthine oxidase, which plays an important role for gout, with an IC50 value of 0.65 μM, compared to the standard drug allopurinol (IC50 = 0.60 μM).
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•Four undescribed alkaloids together with 74 known ones were isolated from Tabernaemontana bufalina.•The structures were determined by NMR spectra, CD data and X-ray diffraction.•Apparicine exhibited a significant inhibitory activity of xanthine oxidase compared to allopurinol.
The diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) is one of the most destructive insect pests of cruciferous plants worldwide. Biological, ecological and genetic studies ...have indicated that this moth is migratory in many regions around the world. Although outbreaks of this pest occur annually in China and cause heavy damage, little is known concerning its migration. To better understand its migration pattern, we investigated the population genetic structure and demographic history of the diamondback moth by analyzing 27 geographical populations across China using four mitochondrial genes and nine microsatellite loci. The results showed that high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity occurred in the diamondback moth populations, a finding that is typical for migratory species. No genetic differentiation among all populations and no correlation between genetic and geographical distance were found. However, pairwise analysis of the mitochondrial genes has indicated that populations from the southern region were more differentiated than those from the northern region. Gene flow analysis revealed that the effective number of migrants per generation into populations of the northern region is very high, whereas that into populations of the southern region is quite low. Neutrality testing, mismatch distribution and Bayesian Skyline Plot analyses based on mitochondrial genes all revealed that deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and sudden expansion of the effective population size were present in populations from the northern region but not in those from the southern region. In conclusion, all our analyses strongly demonstrated that the diamondback moth migrates within China from the southern to northern regions with rare effective migration in the reverse direction. Our research provides a successful example of using population genetic approaches to resolve the seasonal migration of insects.
This study examined the association between iron status and a set of breast cancer risk factors among U.S. adult women aged 20–80 years.
Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ...(2017–2018) were used to examine the relation between serum ferritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation with a set of breast cancer risk factors body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR. The multivariable linear regressions were used controlling for age, race/ethnicity, menopause status, education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and total energy intake.
HbA1c, BMI and waist circumference data were available for 1902 women with a fasting sample (n = 913) for fasting plasma glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR. Transferrin saturation had significant, inverse associations with BMI, waist circumference and HbA1c. The size of difference observed were that participants in the fourth quartile of transferrin saturation had a 4.50 kg/m2 smaller BMI, a 9.36 cm smaller waist circumference and a 0.1 % lower HbA1c level than participants in the first quartile. Similarly, serum iron concentrations were inversely associated with BMI and waist circumference. In addition, serum iron had significant, inverse associations with insulin and HOMA-IR. Sensitivity analyses among men gave similar results. For serum ferritin, there was a trend towards a positive association between waist circumference, HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose with serum ferritin. However, the associations did not reach statistical significance among women.
Iron status may impact breast cancer risk via effects on adiposity or glucose metabolism. The findings should be confirmed with further prospective data.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is characterized by deregulated expression of several tumor suppressor or oncogenic miRNAs. The objective of this study was the identification and characterization of miR-let-7c ...as a potential tumor suppressor in PCa.
Levels of expression of miR-let-7c were examined in human PCa cell lines and tissues using qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization. Let-7c was overexpressed or suppressed to assess the effects on the growth of human PCa cell lines. Lentiviral-mediated re-expression of let-7c was utilized to assess the effects on human PCa xenografts.
We identified miR-let-7c as a potential tumor suppressor in PCa. Expression of let-7c is downregulated in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. Overexpression of let-7c decreased while downregulation of let-7c increased cell proliferation, clonogenicity and anchorage-independent growth of PCa cells in vitro. Suppression of let-7c expression enhanced the ability of androgen-sensitive PCa cells to grow in androgen-deprived conditions in vitro. Reconstitution of Let-7c by lentiviral-mediated intratumoral delivery significantly reduced tumor burden in xenografts of human PCa cells. Furthermore, let-7c expression is downregulated in clinical PCa specimens compared to their matched benign tissues, while the expression of Lin28, a master regulator of let-7 miRNA processing, is upregulated in clinical PCa specimens.
These results demonstrate that microRNA let-7c is downregulated in PCa and functions as a tumor suppressor, and is a potential therapeutic target for PCa.
This study aimed to examine the reporting quality of existing economic evaluations for negotiated glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) included in China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) using the ...Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2013 (CHEERS 2013).
We performed a systematic literature research through 7 databases to identify published economic evaluations for GLDs included in the China NRDL up to March 2021. Reporting quality of identified studies was assessed by two independent reviewers based on the CHEERS checklist. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test were performed to examine the association between reporting quality and characteristics of the identified studies.
We have identified 24 studies, which evaluated six GLDs types. The average score rate of the included studies was 77.41% (SD:13.23%, Range 47.62%-91.67%). Among all the required reporting items, characterizing heterogeneity (score rate = 4.17%) was the least satisfied item. Among six parts of CHEERS, results part scored least at 0.55 (score rate = 54.79%) because of the incompleteness of characterizing uncertainty. Results from the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test showed that model choice, journal type, type of economic evaluations, and study perspective were associated with the reporting quality of the studies.
There remains room to improve the reporting quality of economic evaluations for GLDs in NRDL. Checklists such as CHEERS should be widely used to improve the reporting quality of economic researches in China.
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