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Subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests distributed in montane zones of southern China experience seasonal droughts and winter frost. Previously, studies have recognized that xylem anatomy is a determinant of its vulnerability to embolism caused by drought and freezing events. We hypothesized that there is a coordination of xylem resistance to freeze-thaw and drought-induced embolism for the subtropical montane evergreen broadleaved tree species because they are influenced by common xylem structural traits (e.g., vessel diameter). We examined the branch xylem anatomy, resistance to drought-induced embolism (P 50 ), and the percent loss of branch hydraulic conductivity after a severe winter frost (PLC winter ) for 15 evergreen broadleaved tree species in a montane forest in South China. Our results showed that P 50 of the studied species ranged from -2.81 to -5.13 MPa, which was not associated with most xylem anatomical properties except for the axial parenchyma-to-vessel connectivity. These tree species differed substantially in PLC winter , ranging from 0% to 76.41%. PLC winter was positively related to vessel diameter and negatively related to vessel density, vessel group index, and vessel-to-vessel connectivity, but no coordination with P 50 . This study suggests that hydraulic adaptation to frost is important to determine the distributional limit of subtropical montane evergreen woody angiosperms., (© 2024 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Forests, the largest terrestrial carbon sinks, play an important role in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. Although forest attributes and environmental factors have been shown to impact aboveground biomass, their influence on biomass stocks in species-rich forests in southern China, a biodiversity hotspot, has rarely been investigated. In this study, we characterized the effects of environmental factors, forest structure, and species diversity on aboveground biomass stocks of 30 plots (1 ha each) in natural forests located within seven nature reserves distributed across subtropical and marginal tropical zones in Guangxi, China. Our results indicate that forest aboveground biomass stocks in this region are lower than those in mature tropical and subtropical forests in other regions. Furthermore, we found that aboveground biomass was positively correlated with stand age, mean annual precipitation, elevation, structural attributes and species richness, although not with species evenness. When we compared stands with the same basal area, we found that aboveground biomass stock was higher in communities with a higher coefficient of variation of diameter at breast height. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining forest structural diversity and species richness to promote aboveground biomass accumulation and reveal the potential impacts of precipitation changes resulting from climate warming on the ecosystem services of subtropical and northern tropical forests in China. Notably, many natural forests in southern China are not fully stocked. Therefore, their continued growth will increase their carbon storage over time., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.)

Ferns are primitive vascular plants with diverse morphologies and structures. Plant anatomical traits and their linkages can reflect adaptation to the environment; however, these remain are still poorly understood in ferns. The main objective of this study was to explore whether there was structural coordination among and within organs in fern species. We measured 16 hydraulically related anatomical traits of pinnae, petioles, and roots of 24 representative fern species from the tropical and subtropical forest understory and analyzed trait correlation networks. In addition, we examined phylogenetic signals for the anatomical traits and analyzed co-evolutionary relationships. These results indicated that stomatal density and all petiole anatomical traits exhibited significant phylogenetic signals. Evolutionary correlations were observed between the tracheid diameter and wall thickness of the petiole and between the water transport capacity of the petiole and stomatal density. Conversely, anatomical traits of roots (e.g., root diameter) showed no phylogenetic signals and were not significantly correlated with those of the pinnae and petioles, indicating a lack of structural coordination between the below- and above-ground organs. Unlike angiosperms, vein density is unrelated to stomatal density or pinna thickness in ferns. As root diameter decreased, the cortex-to-stele diameter ratio decreased significantly (enhanced water absorption) in angiosperms but remained unchanged in ferns. These differences lead to different responses of ferns to climate change and improve our knowledge of the water adaptation strategies of ferns., (© 2024 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Tropical karst habitats are characterized by limited and patchy soil, large rocky outcrops and porous substrates, resulting in high habitat heterogeneity and soil moisture fluctuations. Xylem hydraulic efficiency and safety can determine the drought adaptation and spatial distribution of woody plants growing in karst environments. In this study, we measured sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity (Ks), vulnerability to embolism, wood density, saturated water content, and vessel and pit anatomical characteristics in the branch stems of 12 evergreen tree species in a tropical karst seasonal rainforest in southwestern China. We aimed to characterize the effects of structural characteristics on hydraulic efficiency and safety. Our results showed that there was no significant correlation between Ks and hydraulic safety across the tropical karst woody species. Ks was correlated with hydraulic vessel diameter (r = 0.80, P < 0.05) and vessel density (r = -0.60, P < 0.05), while the stem water potential at 50 and 88% loss of hydraulic conductivity (P50 and P88) were both significantly correlated with wood density (P < 0.05) and saturated water content (P = 0.052 and P < 0.05, respectively). High stem water storage capacity was associated with low cavitation resistance possibly because of its buffering the moisture fluctuations in karst environments. However, both Ks and P50/P88 were decoupled from the anatomical traits of pit and pit membranes. This may explain the lack of tradeoff between hydraulic safety and efficiency in tropical karst evergreen tree species. Our results suggest that diverse hydraulic trait combination may facilitate species coexistence in karst environments with high spatial heterogeneity., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.)

The concentration and sorption behavior of 237 Np on the bottom sediments of water bodies in the Far East region of Russia (Lake Khanka and Peter the Great Bay) were studied for the first time. The 237 Np concentrations vary from 1.06 × 10 -6 to 4.43 × 10 -5 mBq g -1 in the bottom sediments of Lake Khanka and from 1.05 × 10 -4 to 2.52 × 10 -3 mBq g -1 for Amur Bay. The experiment on the adsorption of Np on marine and lake sediment showed that it is sorbed through complexation with silicates (albite, leucite). The Np sorption isotherm on marine sediments is described by the Langmuir equation; the distribution coefficients (Kd) of Np vary from 57 to 588 mL g -1 . For lake sediments, the isotherm is described by the Henry equation; the Kd value reaches 935 mL g -1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Kuzmenkova Natalia reports financial support was provided by Russian Science Foundation. Hou Xiaolin reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Co-author is an assocaited editor in Journal of Environmental radioactivity., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the expression of microRNA-3162-3p in different clinical stages of childhood primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and its significance., Methods: Ninety-six children with ITP were enrolled and divided into new diagnosis group ( n =40), persistent group ( n =30) and chronic group ( n =26) according to the course of disease. 80 healthy children were selected as the control group. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) of ITP children and healthy children were isolated and cultured, and the expression of microRNA-3162-3p in PBMNC of subjects was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The contents of IL-17, IL-23, IL-10 and TGF-β in PBMNC of subjects were determined by ELISA. The correlation between microRNA-3162-3p and platelet count, IL-17, IL-23, IL-10 and TGF-β was analyzed., Results: Compared with the control group, the expression of microRNA-3162-3p and IL-10 in PBMNC and platelet count of ITP children were significantly decreased（ P < 0.05）, while IL-17, IL-23 and TGF-β were significantly increased ( P < 0.05). With the prolongation of the disease course, the expressions of microRNA-3162-3p and IL-10 in PBMNC and platelet count were significantly decreased（ P < 0.05）, while the expressions of IL-17, IL-23 and TGF-β were significantly increased ( P < 0.05). The expression of microRNA-3162-3p in PBMNC was positively correlated with platelet count and IL-10 ( r =0.716, 0.667), and negatively correlated with IL-17, IL-23, and TGF-β ( r =-0.540, -0.641, -0.560)., Conclusion: MicroRNA-3162-3p expression is significantly reduced in PBMNC of children with ITP, and is involved in the regulation of Th17/Treg imbalance, which can be used as a potential therapeutic target of ITP.

Multifunctional materials with a coexistence of proton conduction properties, single-molecule magnet (SMM) behaviors and magneto-optical Faraday effects have rarely been reported. Herein, a new pair of Cu(II)-Dy(III) enantiomers, [DyCu 2 ( RR/SS -H 2 L) 2 (H 2 O) 4 (NO 3 ) 2 ]·(NO 3 )·(H 2 O) ( R - 1 and S - 1 ) (H 4 L = [ RR / SS ] -N,N'-bis [3-hydroxysalicylidene] -1,2-cyclohexanediamine), has been designed and prepared using homochiral Schiff-base ligands. R - 1 and S - 1 contain linear Cu(II)-Dy(III)-Cu(II) trinuclear units and possess 1D stacking channels within their supramolecular networks. R - 1 and S - 1 display chiral optical activity and strong magneto-optical Faraday effects. Moreover, R - 1 shows a zero-field SMM behavior. In addition, R - 1 demonstrates humidity- and temperature-dependent proton conductivity with optimal values of 1.34 × 10 -4 S·cm -1 under 50 °C and 98% relative humidity (RH), which is related to a 1D extended H-bonded chain constructed by water molecules, nitrate and phenol groups of the RR -H 2 L ligand.

Climate change has resulted in an increase in drought severity in the species-rich tropical and subtropical forests of southern China. Exploring the spatiotemporal relationship between drought-tolerance trait and tree abundance provides a means to elucidate the impact of droughts on community assembly and dynamics. In this study, we measured the leaf turgor loss point (πtlp) for 399 tree species from three tropical forest plots and three subtropical forest plots. The plot area was 1 ha and tree abundance was calculated as total basal area per hectare according to the nearest community census data. The first aim of this study was to explore πtlp abundance relationships in the six plots across a range of precipitation seasonality. Additionally, three of the six plots (two tropical forests and one subtropical forest) had consecutive community censuses data (12-22 years) and the mortality ratios and abundance year slope of tree species were analyzed. The second aim was to examine whether πtlp is a predictor of tree mortality and abundance changes. Our results showed that tree species with lower (more negative) πtlp were more abundant in the tropical forests with relative high seasonality. However, πtlp was not related to tree abundance in the subtropical forests with low seasonality. Moreover, πtlp was not a good predictor of tree mortality and abundance changes in both humid and dry forests. This study reveals the restricted role of πtlp in predicting the response of forests to increasing droughts under climate change., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Karst forests are habitats in which access to soil water can be challenging for plants. Therefore, safe and efficient xylem water transport and large internal water storage may benefit tree growth. In this study, we selected 22 tree species from a primary subtropical karst forest in southern China and measured their xylem anatomical traits, saturated water content (SWC), hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and embolism resistance (P50). Additionally, we monitored growth of diameter at breast height (DBH) in 440 individual trees of various sizes over three consecutive years. Our objective was to analyze the relationships between xylem structure, hydraulic efficiency, safety, water storage and growth of karst tree species. The results showed significant differences in structure but not in hydraulic traits between deciduous and evergreen species. Larger vessel diameter, paratracheal parenchyma and higher SWC were correlated with higher Ks. Embolism resistance was not correlated with the studied anatomical traits, and no tradeoff with Ks was observed. In small trees (5-15 cm DBH), diameter growth rate (DGR) was independent of hydraulic traits. In large trees (>15 cm DBH), higher Ks and more negative P50 accounted for higher DGR. From lower to greater embolism resistance, the size-growth relationship shifted from growth deceleration to acceleration with increasing tree size in eight of the 22 species. Our study highlights the vital contributions of xylem hydraulic efficiency and safety to growth rate and dynamics in karst tree species; therefore, we strongly recommend their integration into trait-based forest dynamic models., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A new Dy-based complex, [Dy 2 (phen) 4 (PAA) 4 ](ClO 4 ) 2 ( 1 ), was obtained by using 4-hydroxyphenyl acetate (HPAA) as a ligand and 1,10-phenanthroline as an auxiliary ligand. Complex 1 shows a dinuclear structure and a 2D supramolecular layer constructed by π-π stacking interactions. The complex displays a characteristic Dy(III) emission. Moreover, magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that 1 exhibits a single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior. In addition, it also shows a proton conductivity of 1.08 × 10 -5 S cm -1 under 353 K and 100% relative humidity conditions, which is mainly assigned to H-bonded networks formed by the undeprotonated and uncoordinated phenolic groups of HPAA ligands and guest water molecules. Remarkably, 1 is the first example of a dinuclear complex showing photoluminescence, SMM behavior, and proton conduction.

Background and Aims: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the functional traits of leaves (leaflets) of cycads. The aim of this study was to clarify the functional divergence between the earlier origin Cycadaceae and the later differentiated Zamiaceae, and the differences in trait associations between cycads and angiosperms., Methods: We selected 20 Cycadaceae species and 21 Zamiaceae species from the same cycad garden in South China, and measured their leaf structure, economic traits, mechanical resistance (Fp) and leaf water potential at the turgor loss point (πtlp). In addition, we compiled a dataset of geographical distribution along with climatic variables for these cycad species, and some leaf traits of tropical-sub-tropical angiosperm woody species from the literature for comparison., Key Results: The results showed significantly contrasting leaf trait syndromes between the two families, with Zamiaceae species exhibiting thicker leaves, higher carbon investments and greater Fp than Cycadaceae species. Leaf thickness (LT) and πtlp were correlated with mean climatic variables in their native distribution ranges, indicating their evolutionary adaptation to environmental conditions. Compared with the leaves of angiosperms, the cycad leaves were thicker and tougher, and more tolerant to desiccation. Greater Fp was associated with a higher structural investment in both angiosperms and cycads; however, cycads showed lower Fp at a given leaf mass per area or LT than angiosperms. Enhancement of Fp led to more negative πtlp in angiosperms, but the opposite trend was observed in cycads., Conclusions: Our results reveal that variations in leaf traits of cycads are mainly influenced by taxonomy and the environment of their native range. We also demonstrate similar leaf functional associations in terms of economics, but different relationships with regard to mechanics and drought tolerance between cycads and angiosperms. This study expands our understanding of the ecological strategies and likely responses of cycads to future climate change., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Titanium alloys have now become the first choice of tubing material used in the harsh oil- and gas-exploitation environment, while the interaction of force and medium is a serious threat to the safety and reliability of titanium alloy in service. In this paper, different stresses were applied to TC4 titanium alloy by four-point bending stress fixture, and the corrosion behavior of TC4 titanium alloy was studied by high-temperature and high-pressure simulation experiments and electrochemical techniques, and the microscopic morphologies and chemical composition of the surface film layer on the specimen were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to reveal the corrosion-resistance mechanism of TC4 titanium alloy under different stress-loading conditions. The results showed that the pits appeared on the specimens loaded with elastic stress, but the degree of pitting corrosion was still lighter, and the surface film layer showed n-type semiconductor properties with cation selective permeability. While the pits on the specimens loaded with plastic stress were deeper and wider in size, and the semiconductor type of the surface film layer changed to p-type, it was easier for anions such as Cl - and CO 3 2- to adsorb on, destroy, and pass through the protective film and then to contact with the matrix, resulting in a decrease in corrosion resistance of TC4 titanium alloy.

The overall outcomes for patients with advanced liver cancer are far from satisfactory, and the development of more effective therapeutic strategies for liver cancer is required. Sulforhodamine blue and colony formation assays were performed to detect the proliferation of liver certain cancer cells, including HepG2 and Hep3B. Western blotting was also preformed to detect the expression of indicated proteins, including cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation kinase 1A (DYRK1A), PARP-1/2, GAPDH, myeloid cell leukemia-1, phosphorylated-AKT (Ser473), caspase-3, α-tubulin and AKT. PI staining was used to detect cell death. In the present study, DYRK1A knockdown significantly enhanced the anti-liver cancer effect of regorafenib in vitro . Furthermore, DYRK1A inhibitor harmine together with regorafenib provided synergistic anti-liver cancer activity by suppressing cell proliferation. In addition, harmine significantly enhanced regorafenib-induced cell death in liver cancer cells. It has been reported that AKT signaling is activated in regorafenib-resistant cancer cells and plays a crucial role in the regulation of cellular sensitivity to regorafenib. In the present study, AKT was activated in regorafenib-treated cells, and harmine could suppress the activation of AKT and reinforce the anti-cancer effects of regorafenib via regulating AKT in liver cancer cells. These data indicated that harmine enhanced the anti-cancer effects of regorafenib on suppressing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in liver cancer cells via regulating the activation of AKT, and harmine plus regorafenib may be a potential therapeutic regimen for treating patients with liver cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Chen et al.)

The working environment for tubing in oil and gas fields is becoming more and more serious due to the exploration of unconventional oil and gas resources, leading to the increasing need for a protective internal coating to be used in tubing. Therefore, a new mica-graphene/epoxy composite coating with different graphene contents (0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 wt.%) was prepared to improve the tubing resistance to a corrosive medium, an autoclave was used to simulate the working environment, and an electrochemical workstation assisted by three-electrodes was used to study the electrochemical characteristics of the coating. The results showed that the addition of a certain amount of graphene into the mica/epoxy coating significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the composite coating, and when the graphene content increased, the corrosion resistance of the mica/epoxy coating first increased and then decreased when the corrosion current density of a 35 wt.% 800 # mica/epoxy coating with a 0.7 wt.% graphene content was the lowest (7.11 × 10 -1 3 A·cm -2 ), the corrosion potential was the highest (292 mV), the polarization resistance was the largest (3.463 × 10 9 Ω·cm 2 ), and the corrosion resistance was improved by 89.3% compared to the coating without graphene. Furthermore, the adhesion of the coating with 0.7 wt.% graphene was also the largest (8.81 MPa, increased by 3.4%) and had the smallest diffusion coefficient (1.566 × 10 7 cm 2 ·s -1 , decreased by 76.1%), and the thermal stability improved by 18.6%. Finally, the corrosion resistance mechanism of the composite coating with different graphene contents at different soaking times was revealed based on the electrochemistry and morphology characteristics other than water absorption and contact angle.

Four complexes from lanthanides, 3-pyridylacetate, and 1,10-phenanthroline, formulated as [Ln 2 (3-PAA) 2 (μ-Cl) 2 (phen) 4 ](ClO 4 ) 2 [Ln = Gd( 1 ), Dy( 2 ), Eu( 3 ), Tb( 4 ), 3-PAA = 3-pyridylacetic acid, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline], were obtained. The four compounds were characterized by IR spectra, thermogravimetric analyses, powder X-ray diffraction, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 1 - 4 are isomorphous, and they have a dinuclear structure. Magnetic studies reveal that 1 shows the magnetocaloric effect with -Δ S m max = 19.03 J kg -1 K -1 at 2 K for Δ H = 5 T, and 2 displays a field-induced single-molecule magnet with U eff = 19.02 K. The photoluminescent spectra of 3 and 4 exhibit strong characteristic emission, which demonstrate that the ligand-to-Eu III /Tb III energy transfer is efficient., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Aims: The NOD-like receptor (NLR) family, caspase recruitment (CARD) domain containing 5 (NLRC5) was dysregulated in endometrial cancer (EC). However, the potential regulatory mechanisms of NLRC5 in EC remained unclear. We aimed to explore whether NLRC5 could regulate the programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) in EC. We also investigated the related molecular which led to the inactivation of NLRC5 in EC. Methods: The expressions of NLRC5 and PD-L1 in endometrium tissue microarray were detected by immunohistochemistry. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to detect the expression correlation between NLRC5 and PD-L1. Immunofluorescence staining, western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the role of NLRC5 in PD-L1 in EC cell lines. The somatic mutation in EC patients was detected by whole-exome sequencing (WGS). Results: NLRC5 was downregulated in the endometrium of EC patients when compared to those in the normal endometrium. The level of PD-L1 in the endometrium of EC patients was higher when compared to those in the normal endometrium. There was a negative expression correlation between NLRC5 and PD-L1. NLRC5 could promote the expression of PD-L1 in EC cell lines. The mutations of ANKRD20A2, C2orf42, ADGRB3, AVPR2, GOLGA6C, and IPPK may lead to the downregulation of NLRC5 in EC patients. Conclusion: NLRC5 could inhibit the activation of PD-L1 in EC. Mutations of ANKRD20A2, C2orf42, ADGRB3, AVPR2, GOLGA6C, and IPPK may lead to the downregulation of NLRC5 in EC patients. Future study should investigate the mechanism of NLRC5 in PD-L1, as well as the mechanism of ANKRD20A2, C2orf42, ADGRB3, AVPR2, GOLGA6C, and IPPK in NLRC5.

Objective: To observe the expression of plasma microRNA (miR)-146a and miR-223 in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), so as to analyze the relationship between the two factors and the prognosis of children with ALL., Methods: 100 children with ALL treated in the hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 were selected, according to the standard of Chinese Children's Leukemia Group (CCLG)-ALL-2008 program, the children were performed standardized treatment in our hospital according to different risk degree, the follow-up results were obtained, the follow-up time was ≥36 months, and the follow-up time was till to March 2021, the recurrence and mortality of the children were used as prognostic indicators; the baseline data of the children at admission were inquired and recorded, the plasma miR-146a and miR-223 levels were analyzed at admission, and their correlation with the prognosis of children with ALL was analyzed., Results: During the follow-up period, 4 cases of children died while 18 cases recurred, which means 22(22.00%) children showed the poor prognosis; the plasma miR-146a level of the children in poor prognosis group at admission was higher than those in good prognosis group, while the plasma miR-223 level was lower than those in good prognosis group, the differences showed statistically significantly (P<0.05); the results of regression analysis showed that the over expression of plasma miR-146a and low expression of plasma miR-223 at admission might be associated with poor prognosis in ALL children, and might be a risk factor for poor prognosis in children (P<0.05); the ROC curve showed that the AUC of plasma miR-146a and miR-223 at admission alone or in combination showed the predictive value for the risk of poor prognosis in children with ALL(AUC >0.80); the results of correlation test showed that there was a negative correlation of plasma miR-146a with miR-223 levels at admission (r=-0.239, P=0.016)., Conclusion: Plasma miR-146a is overexpressed and miR-223 is low-expressed in children with ALL, the abnormal expression of the two factors is related to the prognosis of children with ALL.