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Abstract Ferroptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death dependent on iron and characterized by the accumulation of lipid peroxides in cells and is closely related to various diseases. Female infertility is a global health concern, which is associated with a variety of factors. The etiology remains unknown in many women with infertility. With further investigation into the pathogenesis of infertility, a growing number of studies have demonstrated the close connections between infertility and ferroptosis. Through a literature review, it is found that ferroptosis is closely involved in endometriosis- and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)-associated infertility and tubal factor infertility. Iron overload increases the resistance to ferroptosis, and ferroptosis in some cells accelerates endometrial lesion growth. Moreover, iron overload may be hazardous to oocytes. This review may shed some light on the diagnosis and treatment of female infertility.

Catalytic reduction of organic pollutants using metal nanoparticles (MNPs) as nanocatalyst is a promising approach. The widespread application of MNPs have led to an increase demand for their production. The green biosynthesis of MNPs using microbes is becoming increasingly important as they are benign and environmentally friendly. In this work, Deinococcus wulumuqiensis (D. wulumuqiensis) with high resistance to stresses was applied for the green preparation of different MNPs, including palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), and Pd−Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (Pd−Ag BNPs). The resultant MNPs exhibited a face‐centered cubic structure, with average size of 6.70 (Pd NPs), 6.24 (Ag NPs), and 6.13 nm (Pd−Ag BNPs), respectively. FT‐IR spectra indicated that the proteins and polysaccharides expressed by D. wulumuqiensis could potentially contributed to the formation of MNPs. The application of as‐prepared biocatalyst in catalytic degradation of pollutant dyes demonstrated that Pd−Ag BNPs had greater degradation ability of 4‐nitrophenol (95.1 %) and Rhodamine B (85.1 %) than monometallic nanoparticles. The pseudo‐first‐order kinetics results further indicated the superior catalytic ability of Pd−Ag BNPs, with rate constant of 0.450±0.009 (4‐nitrophenol) and 1.54×10−2 min−1 (Rhodamine B), respectively. Thus, the present study confirms that D. wulumuqiensis represents a promising candidate for the biosynthesis of Pd‐based nanoparticles with small size, which exhibited potential applications as bionanocatalyst in the degradation of water pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Drought stress impairs plant growth and poses a serious threat to maize (Zea mays) production and yield. Nevertheless, the elucidation of the molecular basis of drought resistance in maize is still uncertain. In this study, we identified ZmSCE1a, a SUMO E2‐conjugating enzyme, as a positive regulator of drought tolerance in maize. Molecular and biochemical assays indicated that E3 SUMO ligase ZmMMS21 acts together with ZmSCE1a to SUMOylate histone acetyltransferase complexes (ZmGCN5‐ZmADA2b). SUMOylation of ZmGCN5 enhances its stability through the 26S proteasome pathway. Furthermore, ZmGCN5‐overexpressing plants showed drought tolerance performance. It alleviated O2−$$ {\mathrm{O}}_2^{-} $$ accumulation, malondialdehyde content, and ion permeability. What's more, the transcripts of stress‐responsive genes and abscisic acid (ABA)‐dependent genes were also significantly upregulated in ZmGCN5‐overexpressing plants under drought stress. Overexpression of ZmGCN5 enhanced drought‐induced ABA production in seedlings. Taken together, our results indicate that ZmSCE1a enhances the stability of ZmGCN5, thereby alleviating drought‐induced oxidative damage and enhancing drought stress response in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin state of the transition metal species (TMs) has been recognized as a critical descriptor in Fenton‐like catalysis. The raised spin state of dispersed TMs in carbon will enhance the redox processes with adsorbed peroxides and improve the oxidation performance. Nevertheless, establishing the spin‐activity correlations for the encapsulated TM nanoparticles remains challenging because of the difficulties in fine‐tuning the spin state of TM species and the insufficient understanding of orbital hybridization states upon interaction with peroxides. Here, the advantage of the fast‐temperature heating/quenching of microwave thermal shock is taken to engineer the structure and spin state of encapsulated TMs within the N‐doped graphitic carbons. The reduced TMs particle size and enhanced TMs‐carbon coupling increase surface entropy and regulate eg electron filling of the high‐spin TM‐N coordination, endowing electrons with high mobility and facilitating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) adsorption. The strong interactions further uplift the PMS O 2p band position toward the Fermi level and thus elevate the oxidation potential of surface‐activated PMS (PMS*) as the dominant nonradical species for pollutant degradation. The deciphered orbital hybridizations of engineered high‐spin TM and PMS enlighten the smart design of spin‐regulated nanocomposites for advanced water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon storage capacity of terrestrial ecosystems serves as a crucial metric for assessing ecosystem health and their resilience to climate change. By evaluating the effects of land use alterations on this storage, carbon management strategies can be improved, thereby promoting carbon reduction and sequestration. While county-level cities are pivotal to ecological conservation and high-quality development, they often face developmental challenges. Striking a balance between economic growth and meeting peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality objectives is particularly challenging. Consequently, there is an urgent need to bolster research into carbon storage management. The study focuses on Jianli City, employing the InVEST model and land use data to examine the response patterns of land use changes and terrestrial system carbon storage from 2000 to 2020. Using the PLUS model, the study simulated the land use and carbon storage in Jianli City for the year 2035 under three scenarios: Natural Development scenario, Urban Expansion scenario, and Ecology and food security scenario. Our findings indicate the following: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, significant shifts in land use were observed in Jianli City. These changes predominantly manifested as the interchange between Cropland and Water areas and the enlargement of impervious surfaces, leading to a decrease of 691,790.27 Mg in carbon storage. (2) Under the proposed scenarios—Natural Development scenario, Urban Expansion scenario, and Ecology and food security scenario—the estimated carbon storage capacities in Jianli City were 39.95 Tg, 39.90 Tg, and 40.14 Tg, respectively. When compared with the 2020 data, all these estimates showed an increase. In essence, our study offers insights into optimizing land use structures from a carbon storage standpoint to ensure stability in Jianli's carbon storage levels while mitigating the risks associated with carbon fixation. This has profound implications for the harmonious evolution of regional eco-economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]