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To reveal the key factors influencing vegetation productivity in sandy lands, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of vegetation productivity on regional scale, pixel scale, and plot scale of the sandy lands in northwes-tern Liaoning Province, based on soil physicochemical data, topographical data, climate data, and the intrinsic characteristics of vegetation. On the regional scale, we established a random forest model to explore the impact of topographical factors, climate factors, and vegetation characteristics on vegetation productivity. On the pixel scale, we performed a correlation analysis between vegetation cover and climate factors. On the plot scale, we combined the physicochemical properties of 234 soil samples with topographical factors and vegetation characteristics, and utilized the random forest model to calculate the importance values of each factor. The results showed that soil nutrients could explain 24.8% of the spatial variation in net primary productivity when other factors were excluded. When introducing topographical factors into the model, the model could explain 40% variation of net primary productivity. When further incorporating fractional vegetation coverage and leaf area index into the model, the model could explain 72.8% variation of net primary productivity. Our findings suggested that fractional vegetation coverage and leaf area index were the most influential factors affecting vegetation productivity in this area. Topographical factors ranked second, followed by climate factors, which had a relatively small impact.

Conifers make up about one third of global forests but are threatened by seed parasitoid wasp species. Many of these wasps belong to the genus Megastigmus, yet little is known about their genomic background. In this study, we provide chromosome-level genome assemblies for two oligophagous conifer parasitoid species of Megastigmus, which represent the first two chromosome-level genomes of the genus. The assembled genomes of Megastigmus duclouxiana and M. sabinae are 878.48 Mb (scaffold N50 of 215.60 Mb) and 812.98 Mb (scaffold N50 of 139.16 Mb), respectively, which are larger than the genome size of most hymenopterans due to the expansion of transposable elements. Expanded gene families highlight the difference in sensory-related genes between the two species, reflecting the difference in their hosts. We further found that these two species have fewer family members but more single-gene duplications than polyphagous congeners in the gene families of ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC), cytochrome P450 (P450) and olfactory receptors (OR). These findings shed light on the pattern of adaptation to a narrow spectrum of hosts in oligophagous parasitoids. Our findings suggest potential drivers underlying genome evolution and parasitism adaptation, and provide valuable resources for understanding the ecology, genetics and evolution of Megastigmus, as well as for the research and biological control of global conifer forest pests., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cypermethrin contamination was a potential threat to soil organisms. In the present work, reproductive damage in earthworms (Amynthas corticis) exposed to cypermethrin was investigated. It was found that earthworms could absorb and accumulate residual cypermethrin in soil, and also earthworm activities helped accelerate the degradation of cypermethrin in soil. The accumulation of cypermethrin in earthworms induced sperm damage, and cypermethrin not only caused the imbalance of calcium homeostasis in earthworm sperm cells by inhibiting earthworm sperm Ca 2+ -ATP and Ca 2+ -Mg 2+ -ATP enzyme activities but also caused barriers in acrosome reaction. It also affected sperm energy supply of earthworms by inhibiting the activity of Na + -K + -ATPase and Mg 2+ -ATPase of earthworm sperm. Meanwhile, the inhibition of acrosome enzyme activity of earthworm sperm by cypermethrin led to hinder fertilization and reduced cocoon production of earthworms, and the damage of cypermethrin to sperm of earthworm was a significant cause of its reproductive toxicity. The results of the evaluation of IBR index showed that reproductive toxicity of cypermethrin to earthworms reduced with the increasing time. The decreased reproductive toxicity of cypermethrin to earthworms at the later stage of exposure (42-56 d) might be due to a combination of reduced absorption of cypermethrin in soil by earthworms, decreased accumulation of cypermethrin in the body, and improved sperm capacitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Metabolic hypertension (MH) is the most common type of hypertension worldwide because of unhealthy lifestyles, such as excessive alcohol intake and high-sugar/high-fat diets (ACHSFDs), adopted by humans. Poor diets lead to a decrease in the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are produced by intestinal flora and transferred by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), resulting in impaired gastrointestinal function, disrupted metabolic processes, increased blood pressure (BP), and ultimately, MH. It is not clear whether Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOPS) can mediate its effects by triggering the SCFAs-GPCR43/41 pathway. In this study, DOPS, with a content of 54.45 ± 4.23% and composition of mannose, glucose, and galacturonic acid at mass percentages of 61.28, 31.87, and 2.53%, was isolated from Dendrobium officinale . It was observed that DOPS, given to rats by intragastric administration after dissolution, could lower the BP and improve the abnormal lipid metabolic processes in ACHSFD-induced MH rats. Moreover, DOPS was found to increase the production, transportation, and utilization of SCFAs, while improving the intestinal flora and strengthening the intestinal barrier, as well as increasing the intestinal levels of SCFAs and the expression of GPCR43/41. Furthermore, DOPS improved vascular endothelial function by increasing the expression of GPCR41 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the aorta and the nitric oxide level in the serum. However, these effects were all reversed by antibiotic use. These findings indicate that DOPS is the active component of Dendrobium officinale , and it can reverse MH in rats by activating the intestinal SCFAs-GPCR43/41 pathway., Competing Interests: Author Q-XY is employed by the company Zhejiang Senyu Co., Ltd. The remaining 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 Li, Wang, Huang, Xu, Feng, Xiong, Dong, Li, He, Wu, Zhang, Su, Yu, Jiang, Lv and Chen.)

The gene family protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) is related to developmental processes and stress responses in plants. Barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) is a popular cereal crop that is primarily utilized for human consumption and nutrition. However, there is little knowledge regarding the PP2C gene family in barley. In this study, a total of 1635 PP2C genes were identified in 20 barley pan-genome accessions. Then, chromosome localization, physical and chemical feature predictions and subcellular localization were systematically analyzed. One wild barley accession (B1K-04-12) and one cultivated barley (Morex) were chosen as representatives to further analyze and compare the differences in HvPP2Cs between wild and cultivated barley. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these HvPP2Cs were divided into 12 subgroups. Additionally, gene structure, conserved domain and motif, gene duplication event detection, interaction networks and gene expression profiles were analyzed in accessions Morex and B1K-04-12. In addition, qRT-PCR experiments in Morex indicated that seven HvMorexPP2C genes were involved in the response to aluminum and low pH stresses. Finally, a series of positively selected homologous genes were identified between wild accession B1K-04-12 and another 14 cultivated materials, indicating that these genes are important during barley domestication. This work provides a global overview of the putative physiological and biological functions of PP2C genes in barley. We provide a broad framework for understanding the domestication- and evolutionary-induced changes in PP2C genes between wild and cultivated barley.

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), which is difficult to diagnose and is usually fatal due to its late clinical presentation and a lack of effective treatment, has risen over the past decades but without much improvement in prognosis., Objective: The study aimed to investigate the role of apatinib that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) in ICC., Methods: MTT assays, cell scratch assays, and tube formation assays were used to assess the effect of apatinib on human ICC cell line (HuCCT-1) and RBE cells proliferation, migration, and angiogenic capacity, respectively. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGFR2, signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 3 (STAT3), pSTAT3, and hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF-1α) pathway proteins was assessed using Western blotting and mRNA expression analysis in HuCCT-1 was performed using RT-qPCR assays. The pcDNA 3.1(-)-VEGFR2 and pcDNA 3.1(-)-HIF-1α were transfected into HuCCT-1 and RBE cells using Lipofectamine 2,000 to obtain overexpressed HuCCT-1 and RBE cells., Results: We found that apatinib-inhibited proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HuCCT-1 and RBE cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. We also proved that apatinib effectively inhibits angiogenesis in tumor cells by blocking the expression of VEGF and VEGFR2 in these cells. In addition, we demonstrated that apatinib regulates the expression of STAT3 phosphorylation by inhibiting VEGFR2. Finally, we showed that apatinib regulates ICC angiogenesis and HIF-1α/VEGF expression via STAT3., Conclusions: Based on the above findings, we conclude that apatinib inhibits HuCCT-1 and RBE cell proliferation, migration, and tumor angiogenesis by inhibiting the VEGFR2/STAT3/HIF-1α axis signaling pathway. Apatinib can be a promising drug for ICC-targeted molecular therapy., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Precise estimation of gross primary productivity (GPP), the key parameter in carbon cycle analysis, plays an important role in the research of carbon cycle and global climate change. Vegetation GPP was simulated by VPM model based on MOD09A1 and climate data in Changbai Mountain Natural Reserve from 2000 to 2015. The results showed that mean GPP was 1203 g C·m -2 ·a -1 . The annual vegetation GPP significantly increased from 2000 to 2015. There was no significant difference in the temporal trends of forest GPP at different vertical vegetation zones. However, GPP of the alpine tundra decreased remarkably. The correlation between GPP and precipitation was not significant. The positive correlation of GPP and temperature was mainly distributed in broad-leaved Korean pine forests and alpine tundra. Spring temperature had the strongest influence on GPP, with 80% pixels had a positive correlation with temperature. The GPP had a stronger correlation with temperature compared with precipitation.

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs), traditionally considered to participate in protein translation, were interspersed in the entire genome. Recent studies suggested that dysregulation was observed in not only tRNAs, but also tRNA derivatives generated by the specific cleavage of pre- and mature tRNAs in the progression of cancer. Accumulating evidence had identified that certain tRNAs and tRNA derivatives were involved in proliferation, metastasis and invasiveness of cancer cell, as well as tumor growth and angiogenesis in several malignant human tumors. This paper reviews the importance of the dysregulation of tRNAs and tRNA derivatives during the development of cancer, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma, aiming at a better understanding of the tumorigenesis and providing new ideas for the treatment of these cancers.

We examined the expression of peripheral blood natural killer T (NKT) cells in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and predicted its efficacy after pegylated interferon α-2a (Peg-INFα-2a) therapy. Sixty-three cases of HbeAg-positive CHB inpatients and outpatients, treated in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January to December 2010, were administrated Peg-INFα-2a 18 myriad international unit intramuscularly once per week for 48 weeks. The number of peripheral NKT cells, 5 quantitative indicators of hepatitis B, and hepatitis B virus DNA capacity were detected at each time point. Forty-eight weeks after Peg-INFα-2a treatment, 26 HBeAg-positive CHB patients exhibited significant effects, 21 cases exhibited effects, and 16 cases showed no effects. The ratio of peripheral blood NKT cells in T lymphocytes before and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment in the significant effect group was significantly increased compared to the effect group and no effect group (P < 0.01); at the 48th week of treatment and 24 weeks after the drug was withdrawn, NKT cell expression in the significant effect group was significantly higher than that in the effect group (t = 32.0, P < 0.01; t = 27.6, P < 0.01, respectively). A total of 27 patients showed HBeAg seroconversion until the 24th week after drug withdrawal. During treatment with Peg-INFα-2a in HBeAg-positive CHB patients, expression of peripheral blood NKT cells could be used to predict efficacy.

Here, on the basis of mimotope of small analytes, we demonstrated a new approach for development of sensitive and environmentally friendly immunoassay for toxic small analytes based on the peptide-MBP fusion protein. In this work, using mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) as a model hapten, phage displayed peptide (mimotope) that binds to the anti-FB1 antibody were selected by biopanning from a 12-mer peptide library. The DNA coding for the sequence of peptide was cloned into Escherichia coli ER2738 as a fusion protein with a maltose binding protein (MBP). The prepared peptide-MBP fusion protein are "clonable" homogeneous and FB1-free products and can be used as a coating antigen in the immunoassay. The half inhibition concentration of the quantitative immunoassay setup with fusion protein (F1-MBP and F15-MBP) was 2.15 ± 0.13 ng/mL and 1.26 ± 0.08 ng/mL, respectively. The fusion protein (F1-MBP) was also used to develop a qualitative Elispot assay with a cutoff level of 2.5 ng/mL, which was 10-fold more sensitive than that measured for chemically synthesized FB1-BSA conjugates based Elispot immunoassay. The peptide-MBP fusion protein not only can be prepared reproducibly as homogeneous and FB1-free products in a large-scale but also can contribute to the development of a highly sensitive immunoassay for analyzing FB1. Furthermore, the novel concept might provide potential applications to a general method for the immunoassay of various toxic small molecules.

Anti-fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) McAb 1D11 was used as the target for biopanning from a phage random loop-constrained heptapeptide library. After three cycles of panning, seven phages with three mimotope peptides were selected to mimic the binding of FB(1) to 1D11. After the identification of phage ELISA, the phage clone that showed the best linear range of detection was chosen for further research. One peptide with the inserted peptide sequence of the phage was synthetized, named CT-452. An indirect competitive ELISA (peptide ELISA) for detecting FB(1) was established using the CT-452-bovine serum albumin conjugate as coating antigen. The linear range of the inhibition curve was 1.77-20.73 ng/mL. The half inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 6.06 ng/mL, and the limit of detection was 1.18 ng/mL. This method was compared with conventional indirect ELISA (commercial ELISA kit) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the results showed the reliability of the peptide ELISA for the determination of FB(1) in cereal samples. The relationship between the CT-452 and FB(1) standard concentrations in peptide ELISA was evaluated. The results indicated that synthetic peptide CT-452 can replace the FB(1) standard to establish an immunoassay free of FB(1).

The method of superimposing multiple phase patterns to generate and deflect multi Airy beams is proposed in this paper. A Dammann grating and an optimized splitting grating are superimposed, respectively, with an Airy cubic phase pattern to generate an array of 4×4 equal-space Airy beams. By adding a deflection grating to the superimposed phase patterns, the transverse self-accelerated Airy beams array can be deflected arbitrarily in two-dimensional plane. The impacts of superimposed phase patterns on the transverse acceleration and size of main lobe of Airy beams in array are discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the steering method and the impact of the phase modulation depth on the size of the Airy beams are introduced.

The mitochondrial genome of Bactrocera cucurbitae, a representative of the Tephritid family, was completely sequenced for the first time. The B. cucurbitae genome is a double-stranded circular molecule of 15,825 bp long, including the entire set of the 37 genes. The 72.9% A+T content and 0.047 AT-skew are within the range of the known dipteran genomes. Comparative analyses showed that dipteran mitochondrial protein-coding genes present complex evolutionary patterns. Some of the codon families were strongly biased towards J-strand. The mitochondrial ATP8 of B. cucurbitae exhibited a faster substitution rate than other genes. Cox1 is the slowest evolving protein and could be considered as a potential phylogenetic marker.

Objective: To investigate the association between the change of IGF-2 level in serum after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, especially in relation to metastasis., Methods: IGF-2 in serum was measured by quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before, 3 days and 4 weeks after TACE in 60 patients with HCC. The occurrence of HCC metastasis was also evaluated, 3 months after TACE., Results: (1) The average serum level of IGF-2 in the 60 patients with HCC was 136.5 ± 87.3 pg/ml; (2) A tendency for increase was observed with heterogenous uptake of octreotide and portal vein thrombosis. Metastatic foci were found in 37/38 patients in the group with IGF-2 increasing (97.0%), in contrast to 3/22 (13.6%) patients with IGF-2 decrease., Conclusion: The increase of IGF-2 level in serum appears to be associated with the occurrence of metastatic HCC after TACE and chemotherapy.

Based on the 1:10000 aerial photo in 1997 and the three QuickBird images in 2002, 2005, and 2008, and by using Barista software and GIS and RS techniques, the three-dimensional information of the residential community in Tiexi District of Shenyang was extracted, and the variation pattern of the three-dimensional landscape in the district during its reconstruction in 1997-2008 and related affecting factors were analyzed with the indices, ie. road density, greening rate, average building height, building height standard deviation, building coverage rate, floor area rate, building shape coefficient, population density, and per capita GDP. The results showed that in 1997-2008, the building area for industry decreased, that for commerce and other public affairs increased, and the area for residents, education, and medical cares basically remained stable. The building number, building coverage rate, and building shape coefficient decreased, while the floor area rate, average building height, height standard deviation, road density, and greening rate increased. Within the limited space of residential community, the containing capacity of population and economic activity increased, and the environment quality also improved to some extent. The variation degree of average building height increased, but the building energy consumption decreased. Population growth and economic development had positive correlations with floor area rate, road density, and greening rate, but negative correlation with building coverage rate.

In this paper, three-dimensional building information was extracted from high resolution satellite image based on Barista software. Combined with ArcGIS software, the dynamic changes of the building landscape in Tiexi District of Shenyang City during urban renewal process were analyzed from the conversion contribution rate, building density, average building height, and built-up area rate. It was found that during this urban renewal process, four dominant landscape types (vacant lot, residential building, industrial building, and road) were the main parts of the landscape changes. The areas of vacant lot, residential building, commercial building, and road increased, while that of industrial building decreased. The building density decreased, while the average building height increased. There was an obvious regional variation in building landscape. The building density in industrial district was higher than that in residential district, while the average building height was in adverse. The further from the city center, the lower the building density and building average height.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of transhepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with gemcitabine and carboplatin for the treatment of stage III hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: Sixty-one HCC patients were treated by TACE. During TACE, At first, intra-arterial infusion of carboplatin 300 mg/m2, then gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 with 5-30 ml of ultra-lipoidal iodide oil emulsion was used for arterial embolization. The toxicity and hepatic damage were observed according to WHO anticancer drug toxicity criteria and Child-Pugh classification criteria, respectively. The survival time was also observed during follow-up., Results: The blood toxicity was bone marrow suppression presented as grade I leucopenia in 39.3%, grade II in 29.5%, grade III-IV in 18.0%. Grade II-III nausea and vomiting developed in 96.8% of the patients. Hepatic function damage became aggravated in 16 patients from A to B class, in 2 from A to C class, and in 6 from B to C class according to Child-Pugh classification criteria. The median survival time was 20 months with a range of 5 to 3 5 months., Conclusion: Transhepatic arterial chemoembolization using carboplatin and mixture of gemcitabine with ultra-lipoidal iodide oil emulsion is safe and effective in the management of stage III hepatocellular carcinoma. This regimen can also improve their quality of life.

Background: Hypoxia up-regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stimulates the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. This study was designed to investigate the association between changes in plasma VEGF levels after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and HCC progression, especially in relation to metastasis., Methods: Plasma VEGF levels were measured by quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA R&D system). Plasma VEGF levels were measured before, 3 days and 4 weeks after TACE in 30 patients with HCC. The development of metastasis was evaluated at the end of the third month after TACE., Results: The plasma VEGF levels of the 30 patients with HCC were 154.47+/-90.17 pg/ml. The total plasma VEGF levels after TACE increased compared with their basal levels (P<0.05), and the plasma VEGF levels had a tendency to increase in patients with heterogeneous uptake of iodizdoil and portal vein thrombosis. Follow-up for six months showed metastatic foci in 20 patients (74%) with increased plasma VEGF, but none of the patients with decreased plasma VEGF developed metastasis., Conclusion: Increased plasma VEGF expression is associated with the development of metastasis in HCC after TACE.

Objective: To investigate the relation between changes in serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, especially in relation to metastasis., Methods: Serum VEGF expression level, measured by quatitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, R&D system), was measured before, 3 days and 4 weeks after TACE in 30 patients with HCC. The development of metastasis was evaluated at the end of the third month after TACE., Results: 1. The serum VEGF level in 30 patients was 154.47 +/- 90.17 pg/ml, 2. Post-TACE total serum VEGF level increased as compared with their basal level in 30 patients (P < 0.05) and serum VEGF level had a tendency to increase in patients with heterogeneous uptake of iodized oil and portal vein thrombosis. During the follow-up of 1 - 2 years, metastatic foci were found in 74% (20) patients with SVEGF increase, while none of the patients showing SVEGF decrease developed metastasis., Conclusion: Serum VEGF expression increase is associated with the development of metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma after TACE.