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Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal that threatens human health when enriched in crops. NRAMPs are a family of natural macrophage proteins reported to play a key role in Cd transport in plants. In order to explore the gene regulation mechanism of potato under Cd stress and the role of NRAMPs family in it, this study analyzed the gene expression differences of two different Cd accumulation levels in potato after 7 days of 50 mg/kg Cd stress and screened out the key genes that may play a major role in the differential accumulation of Cd in different varieties. Additionally, StNRAMP2 was selected for verification. Further verification showed that the StNRAMP2 gene plays an important role in the accumulation of Cd in potato. Interestingly, silencing StNRAMP2 increased Cd accumulation in tubers but significantly decreased Cd accumulation in other sites, suggesting a critical role of StNRAMP2 in Cd uptake and transport in potatoes. To further confirm this conclusion, we performed heterologous expression experiments in which overexpression of StNRAMP2 gene in tomato resulted in a threefold increase in Cd content, which further confirmed the important role of StNRAMP2 in the process of Cd accumulation compared with wild-type plants. In addition, we found that the addition of Cd to the soil increased the activity of the plant antioxidant enzyme system, and silencing StNRAMP2 partially reversed this effect. This suggests that the StNRAMP2 gene plays an important role in plant stress tolerance, and future studies could further explore the role of this gene in other environmental stresses. In conclusion, the results of this study improve the understanding of the mechanism of Cd accumulation in potato and provide experimental basis for remediation of Cd pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and efficient method was developed for the preparation of pedunculoside from the dried barks ofIlex rotunda. Pedunculoside was extracted by heat reflux. The optimal conditions were determined by the response surface methodology (40% ethanol concentration, 14 mL/g solvent/material loading level and 90 min extraction time with the dried barks being extracted twice). After extraction and condensing the crude extract, pedunculoside was directly purified through crystallization in water with the addition of ethyl acetate. Pedunculoside (96.9% purity) was obtained with 48.2% recovery after the extraction and purification. Compared with the reported chromatographic methods, this strategy is simple, eco-friendly, and economical. The purified pedunculoside showed an inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase in vitro (IC50 = 80.8 μg/mL), suggesting its anti-obesity potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotundic acid (RA) is a major triterpene constituent in the barks of Ilex rotunda Thunb, which have been widely used to make herbal tea for health care in southern China. RA has a variety of bioactivities such as anti-inflammation and lipid-lowering effect. However, little is known about the effects and mechanisms of RA on metabolic disturbance in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its effect on gut microbiota. A T2D rat model induced by high fat diet (HFD) feeding and low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) injection was employed and RA showed multipronged effects on T2D and its complications, including improving glucolipid metabolism, lowering blood pressure, protecting against cardiovascular and hepatorenal injuries, and alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation. Furthermore, 16s rRNA gene sequencing was carried out on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform and RA treatment could restore the gut microbial dysbiosis in T2D rats to a certain extent. RA treatment significantly enhanced the richness and diversity of gut microbiota. At the genus level, beneficial or commensal bacteria Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Leuconostoc and Streptococcus were significantly increased by RA treatment, while RA-treated rats had a lower abundance of opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella and Proteus. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the abundances of these bacteria were strongly correlated with various biochemical parameters, suggesting that the improvement of gut microbiota might help to prevent or attenuate T2D and its complication. In conclusion, our findings support RA as a nutraceutical agent or plant foods rich in this compound might be helpful for the alleviation of T2D and its complications through improving gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three crop rotations were studied in Chongqing over five years. • Reduced fertilizer promoted grain yields and environmental and economic benefit. • The rice-wheat rotation produced the highest grain yield and economic benefit. • The maize-wheat rotation was not suitable for Chongqing. • The rice-flooded fallow rotation is the most suitable system for Chongqing. A suitable crop rotation with optimum fertilizer application can balance the need for high crop yields with minimal environmental risk. This has not yet been achieved in China, and the Chinese Government now requires rotations that include a fallow period with the aim of improving soil quality. As a step towards achieving these aims, a 5-year field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of different rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in three typical and acceptable crop rotations on grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), N balance and economic benefit at Jiangjin, Chongqing, China. The rotations were rice-flooded fallow (RF), rice-wheat (RW) and maize-wheat (MW). Three fertilizer treatments were tested over five years. The RW rotation with reduced fertilizer application had the highest grain yield and generated the highest economic benefit. The MW rotation was not suitable for the region that we studied because high precipitation can cause serious disease problems for the wheat. The RF rotation with reduced fertilizer application proved to be the best system for ensuring food security, increasing economic benefit and reducing environmental risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolism of flavonoids derived from orange juice in Chinese volunteers has not been well investigated. With the ultra-fast liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) system, orange juice-derived flavonoids, as well as metabolites contained in urine collected from healthy Chinese volunteers after consumption of 250 mL orange juice, were systematically identified and quantified. Finally, a total of 9 flavonoids and 30 metabolites were detected. Obtained results revealed that flavonoids derived from orange juice underwent extensive phase II metabolism in human, mainly comprising glucuronidation and sulfation. The overall recovery of the primary flavonoid aglycones, i.e., naringenin and hesperetin, were both approximately equivalent 22% of intake, primarily occurred in 4–12 h post consumption. Meanwhile, additional 35 phenolic catabolites were identified in urine collected post consumption. However, it is difficult to determine the exact amounts of phenolic catabolites derived from specific flavonoid due to the interference of diets and other flavonoids. This work would be valuable for the clarification of metabolic profiles for flavonoids in Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The HEM system optimizing nutrient and irrigation increased NUE over farmer's practice by 46–63%, without affecting rice yield. [•] The HYM system optimizing transplanting density and irrigation increased yield by 11% and NUE by 19–89% over farmer's practice. [•] The PRM system optimizing transplanting density, nutrient and irrigation increased yield by 10% and NUE by 51–97% over farmer's practice. [•] Integrated precision crop management has the potential to contribute to both food security and sustainable development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To investigate the genetic and family environmental risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea（OSA） in children with habitual snoring. Method: Children with habitual snoring who underwent overnight PSG were recruited. Subjects were divided into the snoring group and OSA group according to the criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorder（ICSD-3）. The demographic data, symptoms, signs and family environmental factors of the two groups were compared. Result: One hundred and fifty-five families were included（including children with habitual snoring and their parents）. Children were 3 to 13 years old, including 88 cases in the snoring group and 67 cases in the OSA group. Using binary logistic regression analysis, existence of apnea, higher BMI z score and mother's medical history of repeated tonsillitis and/or adenotonsillectomy in childhood were risk factors for OSA in children with habitual snoring, and the odds ratio（95% CI ） was 4.081（1.835, 9.073）, 1.347（1.071, 1.694）, 3.897（1.400, 10.849） respectively. There were no significant differences in the distribution of environmental factors such as family residence, per capita household income, and parental smoking history. Conclusion: The risk factors of OSA in habitual snoring children are symptom of apnea, higher BMI z score and mother's medical history of repeated tonsillitis and/or adenotonsillectomy in childhood., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common and serious complication of mechanical ventilation. We conducted a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of probiotics for VAP prevention in patients who received mechanical ventilation., Methods: We searched a number of medical literature databases to identify randomized controlled trials that compared probiotics with controls for VAP prevention. The results were expressed as odds ratios (OR) or mean differences with accompanying 95% CIs. Study-level data were pooled by using a random-effects model. Data syntheses were accomplished by using statistical software., Results: Fourteen studies that involved 1,975 subjects met our inclusion criteria. Probiotic administration was associated with a reduction in VAP incidence among all 13 studies included in the meta-analysis (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45-0.85; P = .003; I 2 = 43%) but not among the 6 double-blinded studies (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.44-1.19; P = .20; I 2 = 55%). We found a shorter duration of antibiotic use for VAP (mean difference -1.44, 95% CI -2.88 to -0.01; P = .048, I 2 = 30%) in the probiotics group than in the control group, and the finding comes from just 2 studies. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of ICU mortality (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.67-1.34; P = .77; I 2 = 0%), ICU stay (mean difference -0.77, 95% CI -2.58 to 1.04; P = .40; I 2 = 43%), duration of mechanical ventilation (mean difference -0.91, 95% CI -2.20 to 0.38; P = .17; I 2 = 25%), or occurrence of diarrhea (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.45-1.15; P = .17; I 2 = 41%)., Conclusions: The meta-analysis results indicated that the administration of probiotics significantly reduced the incidence of VAP. Furthermore, our findings need to be verified in large-scale, well-designed, randomized, multi-center trials., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 by Daedalus Enterprises.)

Rotundic acid (RA) is a major triterpene constituent in the barks of Ilex rotunda Thunb, which have been widely used to make herbal tea for health care in southern China. RA has a variety of bioactivities such as anti-inflammation and lipid-lowering effect. However, little is known about the effects and mechanisms of RA on metabolic disturbance in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its effect on gut microbiota. A T2D rat model induced by high fat diet (HFD) feeding and low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) injection was employed and RA showed multipronged effects on T2D and its complications, including improving glucolipid metabolism, lowering blood pressure, protecting against cardiovascular and hepatorenal injuries, and alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation. Furthermore, 16s rRNA gene sequencing was carried out on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform and RA treatment could restore the gut microbial dysbiosis in T2D rats to a certain extent. RA treatment significantly enhanced the richness and diversity of gut microbiota. At the genus level, beneficial or commensal bacteria Prevotella , Ruminococcus , Leuconostoc and Streptococcus were significantly increased by RA treatment, while RA-treated rats had a lower abundance of opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella and Proteus . Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the abundances of these bacteria were strongly correlated with various biochemical parameters, suggesting that the improvement of gut microbiota might help to prevent or attenuate T2D and its complication. In conclusion, our findings support RA as a nutraceutical agent or plant foods rich in this compound might be helpful for the alleviation of T2D and its complications through improving gut microbiota.