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Rapid urbanization has resulted in fragmentation and decreased connectivity in urban landscapes, endangering regional biodiversity conservation and high-quality, sustainable development. networks (ENs) construction and optimization is a critical technique to enhance landscape connectivity effectively, promote species interaction and dispersal, and thereby hence urban biodiversity., most existing studies on ENs construction have been undertaken from the perspective of ecosystem service functions or the value of landscape structure, with regional species still being overlooked. on the distribution data of critical species in this study, the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt), wilderness mapping model, and granularity reverse method were integrated to identify ecological sources. the habitat quality (HQ) index was utilized to construct a resistance surface modified by landscape connectivity and ecological sensitivity. findings indicate that: (1) a grid scale of 1700 m is the relatively optimal minimum threshold for ecological source sites in Guangzhou; (2) 35 crucial ecological sources in Guangzhou are identified, with a total area of 1100.42 km2, mainly woodlands, distributed in mountain systems in the northern and central parts of the city; and (3) 59 ecological corridors are identified, with a total length of 817.4 km, with a relatively high density in the central part of the city. some extent, this study offers fresh ideas for constructing urban ENs from the standpoint of biodiversity conservation. contributes to the city achieving a win-win economic development and ecological protection situation. [Display omitted] • We proposed an ecological network framework based on a biodiversity perspective. • Ecological sources were identified by combining MaxEnt and wilderness mapping. • The minimum threshold for sources was confirmed by the granularity reverse method. • This work evolved prioritization of cost-effective ecological network restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explored the protective effects of oyster ( Ostrea plicatula Gmelin) polysaccharides (OPS) against genotoxicity and liver injury induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) in BALB/c mice. OPS was administered to mice at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg for 7 consecutive days, then 50 mg/kg CP was injected via abdomen. Then mice were sacrificed and samples were collected. Bone marrow micronuclei (MN) and polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE): normochromatic erythrocytes (NCE) ratio were calculated to evaluate CP induced genetic toxicity. Activites of transaminase and antioxidants in serum as well as liver histopathology were examined to assess the severity of liver damage. We further investigate the molecular mechanism by Western blot analysis. When CP induced group pretreated with OPS, the generation of MN was obviously reduced accompanying by the restoration of PCE: NCE ratio. We also found that pretreatment of mice with OPS markedly reduced the release of serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST). Histological examination and grading evaluation also showed that OPS could significantly attenuated CP-induced liver damage. At the same time, OPS supplementation attenuated CP-induced oxidative stress as evident by the alternation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Furthermore, CP induced mice showed the downregulation of Nrf2 (nuclear factor E2 – related factor 2) – ARE (antioxidant response element) and the downstream genes i.e. NAD(P)H: quinine oxidoreductase-1 (NQO – 1) and Hemoxygenase-1 (HO – 1), which were obviously reversed by OPS pretreatment. In conclusion, OPS protects against the genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by CP in vivo. The beneficial effect may depend on activation of Nrf2 – ARE pathway and subsequent suppression of oxidative stress and genetic toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bacterial assembly was dominated by drift (stochastic processes). • Fungal assembly was more governed by heterogeneous selection (deterministic processes). • Understory removal rapidly altered fungal community structure. • Understory removal had minor effects on the community assembly of bacteria and fungi. There is little known about how understory vegetation affects the soil microbial community assembly, although it exerts strong controls on the soil microbial community composition. We attempted to clarify this question by establishing an experiment in which the understory vegetation was either removed or maintained as controls in a primary tropical forest in south China. The results showed that removing the understory markedly altered the structure of fungal rather than bacterial communities. The bacterial assembly in control sites was dominated by drift (stochasticity), whereas the fungal assembly was governed more by heterogeneous selection (determinism). Removal of the understory had minor effects on the community assembly of bacteria and fungi. These results indicate that the absence of understory vegetation in tropical forests can quickly alter the fungal community structure without influencing the community assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bacterial assembly was dominated by drift (stochastic processes). • Fungal assembly was more governed by heterogeneous selection (deterministic processes). • Understory removal rapidly altered fungal community structure. • Understory removal had minor effects on the community assembly of bacteria and fungi. There is little known about how understory vegetation affects the soil microbial community assembly, although it exerts strong controls on the soil microbial community composition. We attempted to clarify this question by establishing an experiment in which the understory vegetation was either removed or maintained as controls in a primary tropical forest in south China. The results showed that removing the understory markedly altered the structure of fungal rather than bacterial communities. The bacterial assembly in control sites was dominated by drift (stochasticity), whereas the fungal assembly was governed more by heterogeneous selection (determinism). Removal of the understory had minor effects on the community assembly of bacteria and fungi. These results indicate that the absence of understory vegetation in tropical forests can quickly alter the fungal community structure without influencing the community assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents case of 38-year-old Chinese woman who was admitted hospital due to 11-year history of general arthralgia and persistent joint stiffness. Topics discussed include arthralgia affecting hand joints and wrists bilaterally, the patient consuming non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of joint pain and no history of immunosuppressant therapy, and treatment with meloxicam, prednisone and amethopterin for Hashimoto's thyroiditis and thymoma.