Tetrachlorobenzoquinone (TCBQ) is a downstream metabolite of pentachlorophenol (PCP). Previously, we demonstrated that TCBQ caused cytotoxicity due to mitochondrial-related apoptosis. Here, we ...confirmed the upregulation of death receptor 5 (DR5) followed by the construction of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). We also detected the activation of the caspase cascade, which was correlated with TCBQ-induced apoptotic cell death in PC12 cells. The upregulation of DR5 included transcriptional activation and de novo protein synthesis in response to TCBQ. We also identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as a new target for the TCBQ challenge in PC12 cells. The protein kinase R-like ER kinase/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (PERK/eIF2α)-mediated activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4)-ATF3-C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) signaling pathway contributed to the process of TCBQ-induced ER stress. Blocking ATF4, ATF3, or CHOP signaling by gene silencing technology resulted in decreased cell apoptosis after exposure to TCBQ. Finally, NAC ameliorated TCBQ-induced apoptosis and ER stress, which illustrated that TCBQ-induced apoptosis is somehow ROS-dependent. In summary, this study provided important mechanistic insight into how TCBQ utilizes ER stress-related signaling to exhibit pro-apoptotic activity in PC12 cells.
The lignite-derived carbon from self-protection pyrolysis was employed to balance the fracturing and cold-welding of magnesium during ball milling. Particle size analysis indicates that the ...introduction of lignite-derived carbon can effectively reduce the particle size of Mg while the introduction of graphite does no help. Besides, the effect of lignite-derived carbon on crystallite size reduction of Mg is also better than graphite. A moderate cold-welding phenomenon was observed after ball-milling Mg with the lignite-derived carbon, suggesting less Mg is wasted on the milling vials and balls. Molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the balanced fracturing and cold-welding of magnesium during ball milling is mainly attributed to the special structure of the lignite-derived carbon: graphitized short-range ordered stacking function as dry lubricant and irregular shape/sharp edge function as milling aid. The preliminary findings in current study are expected to offer implications for designing efficient Mg-based hydrogen storage materials.
Grassland remote sensing (GRS) is an important research topic that applies remote sensing technology to grassland ecosystems, reflects the number of grassland resources and grassland health promptly, ...and provides inversion information used in sustainable development management. A scientometrics analysis based on Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) was performed to understand the research trends and areas of focus in GRS research studies. A total of 2692 papers related to GRS research studies and 82,208 references published from 1980 to 2020 were selected as the research objects. A comprehensive overview of the field based on the annual documents, research areas, institutions, influential journals, core authors, and temporal trends in keywords were presented in this study. The results showed that the annual number of documents increased exponentially, and more than 100 papers were published each year since 2010. Remote sensing, environmental sciences, and ecology were the most popular Web of Science research areas. The journal Remote Sensing was one of the most popular for researchers to publish documents and shows high development and publishing potential in GRS research studies. The institution with the greatest research documents and most citations was the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Guo X.L., Hill M.J., and Zhang L. were the most productive authors across the 40-year study period in terms of the number of articles published. Seven clusters of research areas were identified that generated contributions to this topic by keyword co-occurrence analysis. We also detected 17 main future directions of GRS research studies by document co-citation analysis. Emerging or underutilized methodologies and technologies, such as unmanned aerial systems (UASs), cloud computing, and deep learning, will continue to further enhance GRS research in the process of achieving sustainable development goals. These results can help related researchers better understand the past and future of GRS research studies.
•A decade of rising global interest in soil micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) pollution.•Seven significant research clusters identified through keyword and time-series analysis. Insights into MNPs' ...environmental and health implications.•Examining MNPs' toxicological impact on soil organisms.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) emissions and pollution are a growing concern due to their potential impact on ecosystems and human health, particularly in soil. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 2,451 publications spanning from 2006 to 2023. The aim is to assess the research landscape, trends, contributors, and collaborative efforts related to MNPs in soil. Moreover, it examines the extensive research on the effects of MNPs on soil organisms, including earthworms, nematodes, and other fauna as well as the physical–chemical impacts, nanoscale interactions, and ecotoxicological effects on soil microorganisms. Utilizing network analysis, this study explores the global distribution of research across countries, institutions, authors, and keywords, shedding light on the interconnected scientific exploration. The findings reveal a consistent rise in research output over the past decade, reflecting worldwide interest in soil MNPs pollution. It also identifies influential authors and interdisciplinary clusters, highlighting their significant collaborations. Moreover, it pinpoints key institutions and leading journals in this area. Keyword co-occurrence and time-series analysis uncover seven significant research clusters. All provide insights into crucial MNPs aspects and their environmental and health implications. Our findings guide future research and inform strategies to combat MNPs pollution in soils, underscore the need for interdisciplinary approaches to address this complex challenge. In essence, our comprehensive bibliometric analysis serves as a valuable resource, it benefits researchers, policy stakeholders by promoting further research and guiding strategies to mitigate MNPs pollution in soils, in support of ecosystem preservation and human health protection.
Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), a sweetener derived from citrus, belongs to the family of bycyclic flavonoids dihydrochalcones. NHDC has been reported to act against CCl4-induced hepatic ...injury, but its mechanism is still unclear. We first discovered that NHDC showed a strong ability to scavenge free radicals. In addition, NHDC induces the phase II antioxidant enzymes heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H/quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) through the activation of the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling. Further assays demonstrated that NHDC induces accumulation of Nrf2 in the nucleus and augmented Nrf2-ARE binding activity. Moreover, NHDC inhibits the ubiquitination of Nrf2 and suggests the modification of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and the disruption of the Keap1/Nrf2 complex. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 but not extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) phosphorylations were up-regulated by NHDC treatment. Taken together, NHDC showed its protective antioxidant effect against CCl4-induced oxidative damage via the direct free radical scavenging and indirect Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.
Autophagy is a “self-eating” destructive process that eliminates damaged organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the most infamous industrial ...pollutants, which are ubiquitous in nature. In the present study, we found that an active, quinone-type PCB metabolite (PCB29-pQ) treatment causes an autophagic response through mTOR/p70S6k inhibition in HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, our data suggested that PCB29-pQ enhances autophagosome formation through autophagic vacuole (AV) biogenesis, which evokes autophagic flux and induces AV–lysosome colocalization. The inhibition of autophagy enhanced PCB29-pQ-caused cytotoxicity, suggesting that autophagy serves as pro-survival machinery that plays a protective role in the early stage of PCB29-pQ-induced insult. However, higher concentration of PCB29-pQ exposure (>5 μM) caused autophagic cell death, which implied a shift from “pro-survival” to “pro-death” upon autophagic signaling. N-Acetylcysteine suppressed PCB29-pQ-induced autophagy and cytotoxicity, suggesting that ROS plays an important role in the regulation of PCB29-pQ-induced autophagy. Because autophagy shows significant implications in various human diseases and conditions, our current study provides a new mechanism for PCB-associated toxicity.
Grassland degradation has become a global social–ecological problem, which seriously limits the sustainability of indigenous people’s livelihoods. Bibliometrics, a type of analysis based on the ...Science Citation Index—Expanded (SCI-E), was therefore performed to explore the research trends and focus areas of studies on sustainable livelihoods (SLs). We conducted an in-depth analysis of 489 research publications and their 25,144 references from 1991 to 2020. The results show that only few papers have been published, but the number of countries and research institutions involved shows an overall imbalance. We identified eight main clusters based on keyword co-occurrence, these being studies the content of which is an important representation of current research directions in this topic. The document co-citation analysis revealed 10 research clusters, representing the frontiers of research. Clusters included the following topics: NPP (Net Primary Productivity) dynamics, global change, ecological restoration, risk indicators, livelihood strategies, smallholder systems, drought relief, sustainable land management and common pool resources. We reviewed and interpreted these clusters in depth with a view to provide an up-to-date account of the dynamics of this research. As the first scientometric evaluation of research on sustainable livelihoods in grassland ecosystems, this study provides several theoretical and practical implications for global poverty eradication research, which are of great scientific value for global sustainable development.
Sustainable livelihoods; Grassland degradation; Scientometric; Sustainability management.
As global change continues to intensify, the mode and rate of nitrogen input from the atmosphere to grassland ecosystems had changed dramatically. Firstly, we conducted a systematic analysis of the ...literature on the topic of nitrogen deposition impacts over the past 30 years using a bibliometric analysis. A systematic review of the global research status, publication patterns, research hotspots and important literature. We found a large number of publications in the Chinese region, and mainly focuses on the field of microorganisms. Secondly, we used a meta-analysis to focus on microbial changes using the Chinese grassland ecosystem as an example. The results show that the research on nitrogen deposition in grassland ecosystems shows an exponential development trend, and the authors and research institutions of the publications are mainly concentrated in China, North America, and Western Europe. The keyword clustering results showed 11 important themes labeled climate change, elevated CO
2
, species richness and diversity, etc. in these studies. The burst keyword analysis indicated that temperature sensitivity, microbial communities, etc. are the key research directions. The results of the meta-analysis found that nitrogen addition decreased soil microbial diversity, and different ecosystems may respond differently. Treatment time, nitrogen addition rate, external environmental conditions, and pH had major effects on microbial alpha diversity and biomass. The loss of microbial diversity and the reduction of biomass with nitrogen fertilizer addition will alter ecosystem functioning, with dramatic impacts on global climate change. The results of the study will help researchers to further understand the subject and have a deep understanding of research hotspots, which are of great value to future scientific research.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the evolving landscape of research on the intricate relationship between COVID-19 and livelihoods, while also identifying research gaps ...and directions. To achieve this aim, a systematic review methodology was adopted, and metadata was developed using VOSviewer and
R
software. A total of 1988 relevant articles on COVID-19 and livelihoods were collected since the outbreak of the pandemic. However, after applying exclusion criteria and conducting thorough reviews, only 1503 articles were deemed suitable for analysis. The data was analyzed in relation to three phases of COVID-19 impacts: the early stage of COVID, the middle stages during the outbreak, and the post-recovery phase. We examined the distribution of research disciplines, regions, authors, institutions, and keywords across these phases. The findings revealed that coping strategies, food security, public health, mental health, social vulnerability, and regional differences were extensively researched areas in relation to COVID-19 and livelihoods. It was found that the United States had the highest volume of research on COVID-19 and livelihoods. Additionally, the top 1.28% of journals published 18.76% of the literature, with a predominantly focused on the environmental category. This study offers valuable perspectives into the vulnerability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on livelihoods. Furthermore, it provides lessons learned, outlines potential future research pathways to understand the dynamics between environmental factors (like COVID-19) and livelihood stress, and includes a comparison of traditional livelihoods research.
A systematic study on applied electric field effects (Eapp) on electron transfer along the peptides is very important for the regulation of electron transfer behaviors so as to realize the functions ...of proteins. In this work, we computationally investigated the uphill migration behaviors of excess electrons along the peptide chains under Eapp using the density functional theory method. We examined the electronic property changes of the model α-helical oligopeptides, the dynamics behavior of an excess electron along the peptide chains under Eapp opposite to the internal dipole field of peptides. We found that Eapp of different intensities can effectively modulate the electron-binding abilities, Frontier molecular orbital (FMO) energies and distributions, dipole moments and other corresponding properties with different degrees. The electron-binding abilities of α-helical oligopeptides revealed by vertical electron affinity and FMO energies decrease in weak Eapp and then increase greatly in high Eapp, while the dipole moments change mildly in weak Eapp and increase significantly until a threshold and then become gentle in high Eapp. Analysis of FMO and electron distributions indicates that an excess electron can migrate uphill from the N-terminus to the C-terminus of the α-helical peptides in an irregular jump mode as Eapp linearly increases. Another interesting finding is that α-helical peptides with diverse chain lengths have different sensitivities to Eapp. The longer the peptide is, the more obvious the effects of Eapp are. Additionally, compared to the Eapp effect on linear oligopeptides, we summarized the systematic rule about the Eapp effect on excess electron migration uphill along the peptide chains. Clearly, this work not only enriches the information of the Eapp effect on electronic properties and electron transfers in the helical peptides, but also provides a new perspective for modulating electron migration behaviors in protein electronics engineering.
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