Search

Background: Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are important self-defense outputs of pepper plants to resist insect pests. Ascoviruses are pathogenic to the larvae of most lepidopteran vegetable pests. However, whether Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h)-infected Spodoptera litura larvae can change pepper leaf HIPVs is not well understood., Results: Spodoptera litura larvae preferred S. litura-infested leaves, and this preference was stronger with longer duration of S. litura infestation. In addition, S. litura larvae significantly chose pepper leaves damaged by HvAV-3h-infected S. litura over the healthy pepper leaves. Results also showed that S. litura larvae preferred leaves mechanically damaged and treated with oral secretions from HvAV-3h infected-S. litura larvae in a simulation test. We captured the volatiles emitted by leaves under six treatments. Results showed that the volatile profile changed with the different treatments. Testing of volatile blends, prepared to the proportion released showed that the blend from simulated HvAV-3h-infected S. litura larvae-damaged plants was the most attractive to S. litura larvae. Further, we also found that some of the compounds significantly attracted S. litura larvae at specific concentrations., Conclusion: HvAV-3h-infected S. litura can alter the release of HIPVs in pepper plants and thus become more attractive to S. litura larvae. We speculate that this may be due to alterations in the concentration of some compounds (such as geranylacetone and prohydrojasmon) affecting the behavior of S. litura larvae. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Background: Resistance to insect pests is an important self-defense characteristic of pepper plants. However, the resistance of different pepper cultivars to Spodoptera litura larvae, one of the main insect pest species on pepper, is not well understood., Results: Among seven pepper cultivars evaluated, cayenne pepper 'FXBX' showed the highest repellency to third instar S. litura larvae, Chao tian chili pepper 'BLTY2' showed the lowest repellency. Plant volatiles (1-hexene, hexanal, β-ionone, (E,E)-2,6-nonadienal, and methyl salicylate) affected host selection by S. litura. Among these, 1-hexene, hexanal, and β-ionone at concentrations naturally-released by pepper leaves were found to repel S. litura. Interestingly, S. litura larvae fed on the larva-attracting pepper cultivar, (BLTY2) had an extended developmental period, which was about 13 days longer than larvae fed on FXBX. Besides, the survival rate of larvae fed on BLTY2 was 22.5 ± 0.0%, indicating that the leaves of BLTY2 can kill S. litura larvae. Correlation analysis showed that larval survival rate, emergence rate, female adult longevity, and pupal weight were positively correlated with the vitamin C, amino acids, protein, cellulose, and soluble sugar contents, but were negatively correlated with wax and flavonoids contents., Conclusion: We identified two different modes of direct defense exhibited by pepper cultivars against S. litura. One involves the release of repellent volatiles to avoid been fed on (FXBX cultivar). The other involves the inhibition of the growth and development or the direct killing of S. litura larvae which feeds on it (BLTY2 cultivar). © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Plants respond to herbivorous insect attacks by releasing volatiles that directly harm the herbivore or that indirectly harm the herbivore by attracting its natural enemies. Although the larvae of Spodoptera litura (the tobacco cutworm) are known to induce the release of host plant volatiles, the effects of such volatiles on host location by S. litura and by the parasitoid Microplitis similis , a natural enemy of S. litura larvae, are poorly understood. Here, we found that both the regurgitate of S. litura larvae and S. litura -infested cabbage leaves attracted M. similis . S. litura had a reduced preference for cabbage plants that had been infested with S. litura for 24 or 48 h. M. similis selection of plants was positively correlated with the release of limonene; linalool and hexadecane, and was negatively correlated with the release of ( E )-2-hexenal and 1-Butene, 4-isothiocyanato. S. litura selection of plants was positively correlated with the release of ( E )-2-hexenal, 1-Butene, 4-isothiocyanato, and decanal, and was negatively correlated with the release of limonene, nonanal, hexadecane, heptadecane, and octadecane. Our results indicate that host plant volatiles can regulate the behavior of S. litura and M. similis .

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Lyssa zampa was first reported. It is 15,314 bp in length (GenBank accession number: MW435592) and consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The nucleotide composition is A (41.5%), C (11.1%), G (7.4%), and T (40.0%). Based on the sequences of complete mitogenome from 12 geometroid species and three drepanoid species as ingroups, and two noctuoid species as outgroups, the phylogenetic tree was constructed. The results showed that the closest relationship between Uraniidae and Epicopeiidae was strongly supported by Bayesian posterior probabilities values of 0.99., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication. The authors also are responsible for the content and writing of the paper., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

On the design of efficient and affordable electrocatalysts for water reduction half reaction, this paper fabricates molybdenum carbide nanoparticles uniformly loaded in highly porous N-doped carbon matrix derived from polyaniline-molybdate monolith with the use of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) as template. The obtained molybdenum carbide-carbon hybrid catalysts (MoC@NCS) exhibit extraordinarily electrochemical hydrogen evolution activity with a small overpotential of 89 and 81 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm -2 in alkaline (1.0 M KOH) and acidic (0.5 M H 2 SO 4 ) medium, respectively, even comparable to noble-metal Pt/C benchmark. Specially, MoC@NCS also shows excellent long-term durability in alkaline or acidic electrolyte. Furthermore, the obtained carbon matrix (NCS) featuring high content of N dopants and hierarchically porous architecture exhibits high catalytic efficiency for oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolyte. For a further step, the obtained NCS coupled with the MoC@NCS, working as anodic and cathodic electrodes, in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer for overall water splitting, which can obtain a current density of 10 mA cm -2 at 1.69 V, along with robust operation durability. The synergistic effect of the porous carbon matrix of high nitrogen content and the molybdenum carbide nanoparticles of uniform distribution, together with hierarchically porous structure, should be responsible for the outstanding electrocatalytic HER performance. This work presents an easy and cost-effective strategy to prepare molybdenum-based materials with controlled size for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Developing high-efficiency electrocatalysts for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is vital for the production of hydrogen on a large scale by electrocatalytic splitting of water. Herein, Fe-doped Ni(OH) 2 nanosheets directly grown on commercial Ni foam (FeNiOH/NF) were fabricated through a facile hydrothermal method in (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 aqueous solution containing iron salts. The integrated architecture with hierarchical pores is beneficial for exposing sufficient catalytically active sites and providing evaluated structural and electrical properties. In particular, the Fe-induced partial-charge-transfer greatly modifies the electronic structure of Ni(OH) 2 , which evidently promotes the electrocatalytic activity of the as-fabricated FeNiOH/NF for OER and HER. Thus, as an electrocatalyst for OER, FeNiOH/NF exhibits excellent activity with overpotentials of 271 and 318 mV to deliver current densities of 20 and 100 mA cm -2 , respectively, with a small Tafel slope of 72 mV dec -1 in 1.0 M KOH, demonstrating the very high level of novelty and sufficient improvement over the current state-of-the-art IrO 2 electrocatalyst. Most importantly, there is an increase in overpotential by only 23 mV during continuous reaction for over 20 h at an applied potential of 1.62 V to deliver current density of 500 mA cm -2 . The as-fabricated electrocatalyst also enables high HER activity with robust stability. Finally, an overall water splitting current density of 10 mA cm -2 can be obtained at a cell voltage of 1.67 V in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer using FeNiOH/NF as both anode and cathode, along with impressive operation stability. This development with significant over the state-of-the-art IrO 2 electrocatalyst can be widely extended to large-scale fabrication of versatile electrocatalysts for efficient water splitting technology.

Mutation in UCH-L1 has been reported as a rare cause of autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease (PD). A S18Y polymorphism in the same gene has been associated with sporadic PD. We investigated the frequency of this polymorphism among the Han-Chinese ethnic population in a case-control study. A total of 600 patients with PD and 334 unrelated healthy controls were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We did not observe any difference in allele or genotype frequencies between the cases and the controls (P>0.05). Our results do not support a role for this variant in sporadic PD.

Mutations in the gene encoding Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) have been recently linked with autosomal-dominant parkinsonism, and polymorphisms have been commonly associated with sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). A p.2385G>R variant has been reported as a risk factor for PD in Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. Herein, we have assessed the frequency of this polymorphism among the ethnic Han-Chinese population in a case-control study. A total of 600 patients with PD and 334 unrelated healthy controls were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of each group was calculated, and differences in genotype frequencies between groups were assessed by the Chi-square test. In the PD cohort, 70 patients (11.7%) were heterozygous and 1 (0.2%) was homozygous for the p.2385G>R variant. This was significantly more frequent than in the controls [3.3%, Odds ratio = 3.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.1-7.5, P < 0.01]. Clinically, the age of PD onset of the p.2385G>R carriers was lower than the non-carriers (P = 0.01). Our study indicates that this LRRK2 p.2385G>R substitution contributes to the development of PD in ethnic Han-Chinese population, which may play important implications for future study on molecular genetics and pathogenesis of PD.

Objective: To determine whether there are any associations between the -258T/G polymorphism of the promoter and the IVS3 -20T/C polymorphism in parkin gene and Parkinson's disease (PD) from a Han population in Sichuan province., Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism, denaturing high performance liquid chromatography(dHPLC) and sequence analysis were used to determine the genotype of each subject. The -258T/G polymorphism and IVS3 -20T/C polymorphism were analysed in 198 patients with sporadic PD and 187 healthy controls, matched for age and gender., Results: There were significant differences in allele frequency of the -258T/G polymorphism between PD patients and controls, with the G allele more common in cases than controls (52.5% vs 43.3%; chi square is 6.17, P< 0.025, OR is 1.45, 95% CI 1.04-1.86). There were also significant differences in G allele frequency between PD patients with onset age over 50 years old and controls(chi square is 9.048, P< 0.01, OR is 1.57, 95% CI:1.08-2.06). The frequency of TG+GG genotype was significantly higher in PD patients than in controls (78.79% vs 69.51%; chi square is 3.854, P< 0.05, OR is 1.63, 95% CI:0.88-2.38). In addition, there were significant differences in age of onset between PD patients with different genotypes (P< 0.05). The average age of onset in group of GG genotype was later about 5 years compared with the group of TT or TG genotype. The frequency of CC genotype in IVS3 -20T/C polymorphism was much higher than that of TC genotype. No TT genotype was found., Conclusion: This study suggests that the parkin promoter -258T/G polymorphism might be a risk factor for late onset PD in Sichuan. CC genotype for IVS3 -20T/C polymorphism is common in Sichuan Han population. No TT genotype for IVS3 -20T/C polymorphism is found in Sichuan Han population.

Objective: To investigate the effect of batroxobin on K+ channel activated by Ca2+ in primary cultured cortex neurons of fetal SD rat., Methods: The patch clamp technique of single channel recordings including cell-attach and inside-out mode was used., Results: Extracellular batroxobin activated the Kca. In Ca2+ bath solution of cell-attach mode, Vp +30 mV, when the concentrations of batroxobin were 0.15, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.0 mmol/L, the open probabilities of the channel were 0.013 +/- 0.002, 0.082 +/- 0.011, 0.131+/- 0.012, 0.211+/- 0.010 and 0.062 +/- 0.009 (P < 0.01), respectively. It appeared concentration-dependent within 0.75 mmol/ L. batroxobin. In Ca2+ free-bath solution of cell-attach mode, Vp+50 mV, when the concentrations of batroxobin were 0.15, 0.40, 0.60 and 1.0 mmol/L, the open probabilities of the channel were 0.013 +/- 0.001, 0.112 +/- 0.007, 0.193 +/- 0.010 and 0.301 +/- 0.009 (P < 0.05), respectively. In the 6 cases of inside-out mode patch clamp, Vp +40 mV, when the concentrations of batroxobin were 0, 0.25 and 0.50 mmol/L, the open probabilities of the channel were 0. 012 +/- 0.007, 0.011 +/- 0.009 and 0.013 +/- 0.008 (P > 0.05), respectively. There was no significant difference in open probabilities, average open/close times and amplitudes at different intracellular batroxobin concentrations., Conclusion: Batroxobin can affect the activation of the Kca channel through regulating the concentration of cytoplasmic free Ca2+. It may have a protective effect on neurons.

Aim: To observe the effects of Ca2+ -activated K+ channel of primary cultured fetal SD rat cortex neurons in the veratridine triggered neuronal damage., Methods: The patch clamp technique of cell-attach and inside-out mode for these two kinds of single channel recordings were used., Results: Extracellular veratridine activated the Kca. In Ca2+ bath solution of cell-attach mode, Vp + 30 mV, when the concentration (micromol/L) of veratridine were 15,25,50 and 75, the open probabilities of the channel were 0.014 +/- 0.003, 0.085 +/- 0.010, 0.132 +/- 0.016 and 0.059 +/- 0.006 (P < 0.01) respectively. It appeared concentration-dependent within 50 micromol/L veratridine. In Ca2+ free bath solution of cell-attach mode, Vp = +50 mV, when the concentration (micromol/L) of veratridine were 15, 40,60 and 100, the open probabilities of the channel were 0.014 +/- 0.010, 0.113 +/- 0.006, 0.141 +/- 0.004 and 0.295 +/- 0.009 (P < 0.05) respectively. In the 6 cases of inside-out mode patch clamp, Vp = +40 mV, when the concentration of veratridine were 0, 25 micromol/L and 50 micromol/L, the open probabilities of the channel were 0.011 +/- 0.008, 0.010 +/- 0.010 and 0.012 +/- 0.007 (P > 0.05) respectively. There were no significant difference on open probabilities, average open/close times and amplitudes at different intracellular veratridine concentration., Conclusion: Veratridine can affect the activation of the Kca channel through regulating the concentration of cytoplasmic free Ca2+. The opening of Kca activated by increase of intracellular Ca2+ during the early stage of anoxia may be a protection reaction of ischemic neurons.

Background and Purpose: The goal of this article is to clarify the proportion of stroke subtypes in China, where stoke is the most common cause of death., Methods: A total of 16,031 first-ever strokes in subjects >or=25 years of age were identified in 1991 to 2000 from 17 Chinese populations through a community-based cardiovascular disease surveillance program in the China Multicenter Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Epidemiology. World Health Organization diagnosis criteria were used for classification of stroke subtypes., Results: CT scan rate of stroke cases reached a satisfactorily high level only after 1996 in the study populations. In 8268 first-ever stroke events from 10 populations with CT scan rate >75% in 1996 to 2000, 1.8% were subarachnoid hemorrhage, 27.5% were intracerebral hemorrhage, 62.4% were cerebral infarction, and 8.3% were undetermined stroke. The proportion of intracerebral hemorrhage varied from 17.1% to 39.4% and that for cerebral infarction varied from 45.5% to 75.9% from population to population. The ratio of ischemic to hemorrhagic stroke ranged from 1.1 to 3.9 and averaged 2.0). The 28-day fatality rate was 33.3% for subarachnoid hemorrhage, 49.4% for intracerebral hemorrhage, 16.9% for cerebral infarction, and 64.6% for undetermined stroke., Conclusions: In our study, ischemic stroke was more frequent and its proportion was higher than hemorrhagic stroke in Chinese populations. Although hemorrhagic stroke was more frequent in Chinese than in Western populations, the variation in the proportion of stroke subtypes among Chinese populations could be as large as or larger than that between Chinese and Western populations.

Objective: To study the ratio of ischemic to hemorrhagic stroke incidence in Chinese populations., Methods: Fifteen populations in China, each including about 100,000 residents, were monitored from 1991 to 2000 for the occurrence of stroke. Stroke was classified as hemorrhagic, ischemic and unclassified based on the clinical data and CT scan results respectively., Results: The average CT scan rate in stroke patients from 1996 to 2000 varied from 14.8% to 97.5% among the 15 population and the average ratio of ischemic to hemorrhagic stroke ranged from 0.23:1 to 4.38:1; the correlation coefficient between the ratio and CT scan rate is 0.7 (P = 0.003). In all the populations with CT scan rate greater than 80%, the ischemic to haemorrhagic ratios were all greater than 1.0. From 1991 to 2000 in 12 populations with complete data, the CT scan rate in stroke patients rose from 41.1% to 88.3% and the ischemic to hemorrhagic ratio rose from 1.25:1 to 1.85:1. The correlation coefficient between the ratio and the CT scan rate was 0.9 (P < 0.001). In patients having CT scan, the ischemic to hemorrhagic ratio was greater than 1.0 in all the years., Conclusion: The predominant type of stroke in Chinese population is ischemic. The low CT scan rate in some populations is the main reason for the false impression predominantly hemorrhagic stroke.