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Twenty lake bottom surface layers mud and water samples in the Qilihai Wetland and the Beidagang Reservoir in Tianjin were taken to do diatoms analysis. More than 6000 diatoms were identified and divided into 117 species and 28 genera. Based on the calculation of DAIpo(Diatom Assemblage to organic water pollution), the water pollution level of the Beidagang Reservoir can be divided into: Xenosaprobic, β -oligosaprobic, α -oligosaprobic, β -mesosaprobic, from clear to slightly cloudy water. The water pollution level of Qilihai wetland can be divided into: extremely oligarchy dirt belt, β oligarchy dirt belt, α oligarchy dirt belt, β Medium dirt belt, that is, the water quality is clear to slightly turbid. The water quality of the Beidagang Reservoir is clearer than that of the Qilihai Wetland. The physical and chemical indexes such as EC, pH, TN, TP and CODMn were determined for the water samples, and the correlation between DAIpo and these measured values was analyzed. The results showed that the degree of water pollution detected was consistent with the conclusion obtained by diatom analysis. The results show that the water quality of the Beidagang Reservoir and the Qilihai Wetland was mildly polluted in the spring and summer of 2019, but the eutrophication is more serious.

Tungsten and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (W, N-CDs) with a high quantum yield of 51.08% were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process. Doping of tungsten effectively enhanced luminescent properties of the carbon dots, and the quantum yield was increased by 10.3%. The surface composition and morphology of the synthesized W, N-CDs were characterized. W, N-CDs were employed as nanoprobes to develop a sensor for the selective and sensitive determination of Hg2+ and captopril. Under the optimal conditions, the linear response range for Hg2+ and captopril were 0.125 to 9.0 μM and 0.5 to 10 μM with detection limits of 40 nM and 300 nM, respectively. The developed sensor was successfully applied for the determination of Hg2+ in water and captopril in urine with recoveries from 95.50 to 105.50% and 96.33 to 105.13%, which demonstrates suitable accuracy and reliability. The fluorescence mechanisms of W, N-CDs toward Hg2+ and captopril were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare technology has allowed individuals to monitor and track various physiological and biological parameters. With the growing trend of the use of the internet of things and big data, wearable biosensors have shown great potential in gaining access to the human body, and providing additional functionality to analyze physiological and biochemical information, which has led to a better personalized and more efficient healthcare. In this review, we summarize the biomarkers in interstitial fluid, introduce and explain the extraction methods for interstitial fluid, and discuss the application of epidermal wearable biosensors for the continuous monitoring of markers in clinical biology. In addition, the current needs, development prospects and challenges are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most plentiful internal RNA modifications, especially in eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA), which plays pivotal roles in the regulation of mRNA life cycle and nerve development. However, the mRNA m6A methylation pattern in peripheral nervous injury (PNI) has not been investigated. In this study, sciatic nerve samples were collected from 7 days after sciatic nerve injury (SNI) and control rats. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that m6A-related methyltransferase/demethylase genes were remarkably upregulated in SNI group compared with control group. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) was performed to reveal the m6A methylation landscape. The results showed that 4,014 m6A peaks were significantly altered, including 2,144 upregulated and 1,870 downregulated m6A peaks, which were corresponded to 1,858 genes. Moreover, 919 differentially expressed genes were identified by the conjoint analysis of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq. GO and KEGG pathway analyses were performed to determine the biological functions and signaling pathways of the m6A-modified genes. Notably, these genes were mainly related to the immune system process, cell activation, and nervous system development in GO analysis. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that these genes were involved in the cell cycle, B cell receptor signaling pathway, axon guidance pathway, and calcium signaling pathway. Furthermore, the m6A methylation and protein expression levels of autophagy-related gene (Atg7) were increased, together with the activation of autophagy. These findings shed some light on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, which may provide a new opinion to promote functional recovery after PNI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new Zn2+‐based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on biphenyl‐2,2′,5,5′‐tetracarboxylic acid, i.e. H4(o,m‐bpta), and N‐donor ligands, namely, poly[[(μ4‐biphenyl‐2,2′,5,5′‐tetracarboxylato)bis{[1,3‐phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H‐imidazole)}dizinc(II)] dimethylformamide monosolvate dihydrate], {[Zn2(C16H6O8)(C14H14N4)2]·C3H7NO·2H2O}n or {[Zn2(o,m‐bpta)(1,3‐bimb)2]·C3H7NO·2H2O}n (1) {1,3‐bimb = [1,3‐phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H‐imidazole)}, and poly[[(μ4‐biphenyl‐2,2′,5,5′‐tetracarboxylato)bis{[1,4‐phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H‐imidazole)}dizinc(II)] monohydrate], {[Zn2(C16H6O8)(C14H14N4)2]·H2O}n or {[Zn2(o,m‐bpta)(1,4‐bimb)2]·H2O}n (2) {1,4‐bimb = [1,4‐phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H‐imidazole)}, have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and powder X‐ray diffraction analysis. Structurally, the (o,m‐bpta)4− ligands are fully deprotonated and combine with Zn2+ ions in μ4‐coordination modes. Complex 1 is a (3,4)‐connected porous network with honeycomb‐like [Zn2(o,m‐bpta)]n sheets formed by 4‐connected (o,m‐bpta)4− ligands. Complex 2 exhibits a (2,4)‐connected network formed by 4‐connected (o,m‐bpta)4− ligands linking Zn2+ ions in left‐handed helical chains. The cis‐configured 1,3‐bimb and 1,4‐bimb ligands bridge Zn2+ ions to form multi‐membered [Zn2(bimb)2] loops. Optically, the complexes show strong fluorescence and display larger red shifts compared to free H4(o,m‐bpta). Complex 2 shows ferroelectric properties due to crystallizing in the C2v polar point group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cropland-to-apple orchard conversion is expanding in the semiarid Loess Plateau, yet its impacts on deep soil moisture and nitrate are poorly documented. This study was conducted in Luochuan, typically the best area for apple planting in China, where fifteen 6-m-deep soil profiles were sampled from each cropland (as the control), as well as 8-, 17- and 25-yr apple orchards, to investigate the vertical distributions of soil moisture and nitrate and their storage. Results showed that the 8-yr apple orchards were comparable to cropland in soil moisture content (SMC), soil water storage (SWS), soil nitrate concentration (SNC) and residual soil nitrate (RSN). In contrast, 17- and 25-yr apple orchards, caused serious SWS deficits, of 140 mm and 150 mm, and substantially increased RSN, by 4270 and 7250 kg N ha−1, respectively, when compared with cropland. Notably, RSN in deep soils was strongly enhanced by the stand age of apple orchard, which was primarily associated with accumulated N fertilizer inputs. Similar SNCs in the 540–600 cm layer among land use types implied a 6-m-deep soil profile might be robust for evaluating NO 3 − dynamics following cropland-to-orchard conversion in the study region. Regression relationships between RSN and SWS were significantly positive in the 100–300 cm soil layer under cropland but significantly negative in the 0–100 cm and 100–300 cm layers under 8-yr apple orchards, indicating distinct hydrological processes of NO 3 − under differing land uses. In conclusion, converting cropland to apple orchards could result in soil moisture decline and nitrate accumulation in the 6-m profile that may threaten the Loess Plateau's sustainability. Therefore, integrated water and N management should be practiced to mitigate the unfavorable impacts and develop sustainable apple production in China and other semiarid areas of the world. • The 17- and 25-yr apple orchards decreased soil moisture in soils deeper than 3 m. • NO 3 − accumulation in deep soil layers increased with stand age of apple orchard. • A 6-m-deep soil profile was robust for evaluating vertical patterns of soil NO 3 −. • 8-yr orchard may be an optimal age avoiding soil water decline and NO 3 − accumulation. • Converting cropland to apple orchard may threaten the Loess Plateau's sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thorough understanding of coupled effects of soil management (tillage), mulch and N rate on the wheat-maize system is crucial for achieving sustainable agriculture in the southern Loess Plateau of China. This study was based on a 12-year (2003–2015) field experiment and aimed to evaluate the impact of three wheat-maize systems (S) which varied in terms of tillage, mulch, wheat row spacing and irrigation management (CT, conventional tillage with no mulch; RFM, ridge-furrow with plastic film-mulched ridges and straw-mulched furrows; CTM, conventional tillage with straw mulch) combined with N fertilizer rates (0, 120 and 240 kg N ha − 1 ) on crop yield, water productivity (WP, kg grain per kg of water input), N uptake, residual soil nitrate (RSN) and soil physicochemical properties. Results demonstrated that RFM significantly increased maize yield in comparison with CT in all 12 years, while CTM increased yield in comparison with CT from year 3 onwards. By contrast, wheat yield was not strongly influenced by RFM and CTM from 2004 to 2012 (except for 2008). Maize yields of RFM were significantly higher than those of CTM from the third year onwards. Compared with CT, the other two practices, and more so RFM, showed beneficial effects on crop yield, the amount of stored water, WP, N uptake and RSN. N fertilization significantly increased crop yield, WP and N uptake, while no significant difference was observed between the N120 and N240 treatments. Notably, considerable buildup of RSN to ∼ 490 kg N ha −1 at maize harvest and ∼340 kg N ha −1 at wheat harvest were observed in 0–200 cm soil depth when 240 kg N ha −1 was applied. These results suggest that the conventional N rate of 240 kg N ha −1 is excessive, and risks serious contamination of the groundwater as a result of NO 3 − -N leaching. The N120 treatment was characterized with considerably lower RSN accumulation after harvest, while maintaining crop yield. Thus, we concluded that the RFM practice with 120 kg N ha −1 application could reduce irrigation water and fertilizer inputs and increase crop land and water productivity, and is a promising strategy for developing sustainable agriculture in the southern Loess Plateau and other areas with similar climate and cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Apple-producing systems on China's Loess Plateau are overfertilized. • Soil nutrients accumulated and slight acidification occurred in apple orchards. • Apple yield was significantly correlated with exchangeable Ca. • The optimal age for maximum apple yield was approximately 17 years. • The most suitable sampling depth to evaluate fertility changes was 0–20 cm. Data on fertilization and spatial characterization of soil chemical properties are crucial for developing sustainable apple production systems. However, such information at regional scale is scarce. We conducted a survey asking farmers in Luochuan County about their current use of fertilizers, and collected 290 soil samples from 0 to 20 cm and 20–40 cm depths, respectively, to examine the spatial variability of eight chemical properties, and analyze the possible relations between soil quality index (SQI), apple yield, and stand age. Results showed apple orchards were severely overfertilized, with chemical N-P 2 O 5 -K 2 O fertilizers of 1230–795–1080 kg ha−1 yr−1 and organic fertilizers applied at the rates of 74.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1, 66.1 kg P 2 O 5 ha−1 yr−1, and 75.8 kg K 2 O ha−1 yr−1. With the exception of pH, both coefficient of variation and variogram range showed a moderate to high variability (16.5–77.7%) and spatial dependency (7.10–47.8%) for selected parameters. Distribution maps illustrated that the 0–20 cm soil depth was characterized by typically higher soil nutrient contents compared with that of 20–40 cm depth. Relative to the data observed in the 1980s, the averaged pH values decreased by ~0.20 units across 0–40 cm depth, while soil organic matter, total N, available N, P, K and Zn, and exchangeable Ca (Ex-Ca) increased markedly (26.2–508%) in the 0–20 cm depth, whilst few changes (9.84–178%) occurred at 20–40 cm depth. Correlation analysis revealed that Ex-Ca was the unique variable that was significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with apple yield at 0–20 cm depth, suggesting the importance of soil Ex-Ca as an indicator of apple production. The relationship between apple yield and stand age was well described by a parabolic model, with ~17 years as the optimal stand age for producing the maximum apple yield. Notably, the SQI scores had significant relationships with apple yields for 8–13, 14–17 and 18–31-yr-old stands in the 0–20 cm depth, but the relationship was only significant for the 14–17-yr-old stands in the 20–40 cm depth, implying that 0–20 cm is the appropriate sampling depth for evaluating soil quality changes in apple production systems. Overall, long-term fertilization improved soil fertility of apple orchards, which required particular attention with regard to overuse of N, P and K fertilizers. Those results provide an important reference for China and other major apple-producing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between inflammatory cytokines and osteoarthritis (OA) has been reported in several observational studies, but the causal relationship between these two remains unknown. Hence, we performed this two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to confirm the causal relationship between circulating levels of inflammatory factors and osteoarthritis risk. Method: We used genetic variants associated with cytokine circulation levels from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in 8,293 Finns as instrumental variables and obtained OA data from the United Kingdom Biobank, including a total of 345,169 subjects of European ancestry (66,031 diagnosed OA cases and 279,138 controls). Inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, Wald Ratio, weighted median, and MR multiplicity residual sums with outliers (MR-PRESSO) were used. Result: We found a causal relationship between circulating levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta (MIP-1β) and risk of OA (OR = 0.998, 95% CI = 0.996-0.999 p = 9.61 × 10 -5 ); tumour necrosis factor beta (TNF-β) was also causally associated with risk of OA (OR = 0.996,95%CI = 0.994-0.999, p = 0.002); finally we found a suggestive association between C-C motif chemokine ligand 5(CCL5, also called Rantes) and OA risk (OR = 1.013, 95%CI = 1.002-1.024, p = 0.016). Conclusion: Our findings offer promising leads for the development of new therapeutic targets in the treatment of osteoarthritis. By identifying the role of inflammatory cytokines in this debilitating condition through a genetic epidemiological approach, our study contributes to a better understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms. These insights may ultimately pave the way for more effective treatments that improve patient outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Su, Ai, Zhu, Yang and Ma.)

Osteoporosis (OP) is an aging-related disease that is the main etiology of fragility fracture. Qing'e Pill (QEP) is a mixture of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) consisting of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., Psoralea corylifolia L., Juglans regia L., and Allium sativum L. QEP has an anti-osteoporosis function, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, online databases were employed to determine the chemical compounds of QEP and potential target genes in osteoporosis. Potential pathways associated with genes were defined by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. A compound-target-disease network was constructed. Hub genes screened through Cytoscape were intersected with the FerrDB database. The potential key genes were validated in HFOB 1.19 cells, and rat models were ovariectomized through Western blot, RT-qPCR, ELISA, HE staining, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence analyses. The intersection targets of QEP and osteoporosis contained 121 proteins, whereas the target-pathway network included 156 pathways. We filtered five genes that stood out in the network analysis for experimental verification. The experiments validated that QEP exerted therapeutic effects on osteoporosis by inhibiting ferroptosis and promoting cell survival via the PI3K/AKT pathway and ATM. In conclusion, combining the application of network analysis and experimental verification may provide an efficient method to validate the molecular mechanism of QEP on osteoporosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hao, Bei, Li, Han, Ma, Ma and Zhou.)

Two new Zn 2+ -based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on biphenyl-2,2',5,5'-tetracarboxylic acid, i.e. H 4 (o,m-bpta), and N-donor ligands, namely, poly[[(μ 4 -biphenyl-2,2',5,5'-tetracarboxylato)bis{[1,3-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H-imidazole)}dizinc(II)] dimethylformamide monosolvate dihydrate], {[Zn 2 (C 16 H 6 O 8 )(C 14 H 14 N 4 ) 2 ]·C 3 H 7 NO·2H 2 O} n or {[Zn 2 (o,m-bpta)(1,3-bimb) 2 ]·C 3 H 7 NO·2H 2 O} n (1) {1,3-bimb = [1,3-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H-imidazole)}, and poly[[(μ 4 -biphenyl-2,2',5,5'-tetracarboxylato)bis{[1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H-imidazole)}dizinc(II)] monohydrate], {[Zn 2 (C 16 H 6 O 8 )(C 14 H 14 N 4 ) 2 ]·H 2 O} n or {[Zn 2 (o,m-bpta)(1,4-bimb) 2 ]·H 2 O} n (2) {1,4-bimb = [1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(1H-imidazole)}, have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Structurally, the (o,m-bpta) 4- ligands are fully deprotonated and combine with Zn 2+ ions in μ 4 -coordination modes. Complex 1 is a (3,4)-connected porous network with honeycomb-like [Zn 2 (o,m-bpta)] n sheets formed by 4-connected (o,m-bpta) 4- ligands. Complex 2 exhibits a (2,4)-connected network formed by 4-connected (o,m-bpta) 4- ligands linking Zn 2+ ions in left-handed helical chains. The cis-configured 1,3-bimb and 1,4-bimb ligands bridge Zn 2+ ions to form multi-membered [Zn 2 (bimb) 2 ] loops. Optically, the complexes show strong fluorescence and display larger red shifts compared to free H 4 (o,m-bpta). Complex 2 shows ferroelectric properties due to crystallizing in the C 2v polar point group.