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The global abundance of Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) has declined dramatically in recent decades. Ecological information of its wild populations, particularly regarding nest site selection, is scant. We studied the nest site selection and breeding ecology of this duck in Caohai National Nature Reserve, its southernmost breeding site in the Guizhou Province of China. The aquatic vegetation of Caohai is composed of 2 different landscapes with small patches (in Site A) or large patches (in Site B). We studied the habitat preferences of breeding Spot-billed Ducks at 3 spatial scales: landscape, patch, and nest site. In total, we surveyed 413 patches during the breeding seasons of 2014 2016 (298 in Site A and 115 in Site B). We found no nests in Site A, but surveyed 88 patches with 254 nests and 27 patches without nests in Site B. Unlike the open-cup nests known from other breeding localities, the nests of the Spot-billed Duck in Caohai were dome-like structures with a lateral entrance. Patches with nests were significantly larger than patches without nests in total area, circumference, and shape index. In Site B, a negative binomial regression showed that the number of nests was positively correlated with sedge vegetation within the patch area. The reduced model from a binary logistic regression indicated that the total vegetation cover and the distance to bank had positive impacts on nest site selection of this duck in Caohai, but water depth had a negative influence. Our study suggests good concealment is a necessity for the Spot-billed Duck to construct nests in Caohai. Our survey using infrared cameras in 2021 did not record male parents participating in incubation (n = 47 cameras). The mean mass of eggs (46.91 [+ or -] 0.36 g) and clutch size (8.48 [+ or -] 0.08 eggs) values were lower than those reported for the Xianghai National Nature Reserve, a breeding stronghold for the Spot-billed Duck in northeastern China. The nest success rate in Caohai (nests where at least 1 egg hatched) was 40.4% (n = 47 nests) and the hatching success rate was 91.4% (n = 134 eggs from 19 successful nests). Maintaining the emergent hydrophyte vegetation is the primary means to conserve the nesting habitat of the Spot-billed Duck in Caohai and it is necessary to strictly enforce the law against human disturbance. Received 18 October 2021. Accepted 3 October 2022. Key words: alpine wetland ecosystem, breeding behavior, environmental factors, habitat preference, multiple spatial scales., The Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) has a broad geographic distribution, including China, Japan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, eastern Russia, and Bhutan (IUCN 2022). The Spot-billed [...]

Purpose: This study investigates the clinical benefits of integrating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment via meta-analysis and an exploration of network pharmacology analysis (NPA). Methods: A comprehensive search across different databases retrieved all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating TCM combined with TACE for HCC. Meta-analysis included 39 RCTs to assess the intervention effects. The bayesian network meta-analysis observed the relative efficacy and potential ranking of various interventions. Active compounds and target genes from frequently used TCM were sourced from the TCMSP database, while HCC disease targets were collected from five public disease databases. Regulatory networks connecting target genes with active components of key herbs were constructed. Following the identification of key genes, we conducted analyses of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to enrich our understanding of their functions. NPA and molecular docking methods were refined to reveal potential interactions between TCM components and their specific targets. Results: The combination of TCM with TACE significantly enhances the efficacy and safety of HCC treatment, improving the overall response rate, disease control rate, and overall survival rate, while also reducing the incidence of adverse events. Among the TCM evaluated, Ganfu Formula proved to be the most effective in enhancing patient response rates. Analysis of all included medicinal herbs identified 10 pivotal TCMs and 17 core genes. GO analysis revealed their significance in protein interactions, whereas KEGG analysis highlighted their role in crucial oncological pathways. NPA and molecular docking techniques elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action of TCM components. Conclusion: Adding TCM to TACE protocols significantly enhances treatment outcomes and safety in HCC patients by modulating tumor biology and systemic immune responses, highlighting its potential as an effective adjunct therapy. These findings support the inclusion of TCM in standard care regimens, offering potential for improved management of HCC. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024571280. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of farmland soil with cadmium (Cd) poses a significant threat to the safety and quality of agricultural products. Herbivorous pests may develop adaptations to survive in Cd-contaminated farmland over time, potentially leading to population outbreaks. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in this adaptation process, though the mechanisms involved remain unclear. This study examined the effects of two pepper cultivars of Capsicum annuum (Chiyan, CY, and Tianlanse, TLS) under Cd contamination on larval growth, development, food utilization, and gut microbiota of Spodoptera litura larvae. The inherent toxicity of TLS is higher than that of CY, as evidenced by a significant reduction in larvae survival rate in the control. In CY, Cd had a positive effect on larvae at low concentrations and a negative effect at high concentrations. Briefly, 5 mg/kg Cd of CY increased the efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) and relative growth rate (RGR), whereas 10 mg/kg Cd decreased larvae growth and nutritional indices [higher relative consumption rate (RCR), approximate digestibility (AD), and lower efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD)]. In TLS, Cd had a significant, dose-dependent, negative effect on larvae weight, ECD, and relative growth rate (RGR). Cd thus increased the negative effects of the plant toxins on the larvae. Meta-barcode sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that microbial diversity was affected by pepper cultivar but not Cd concentration. In larvae fed on CY, the most frequent bacterial genera were Enterococcus and Pluralibacte, whereas Enterococcus was the predominant genus in TLS larvae. Our findings reveal variations in how Cd impacts S. litura larvae across different pepper cultivars and imply that alterations in gut microbial communities could play a role in the joint detoxification of Cd and plant-derived toxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ishikawaella is an obligate gut bacterium in stinkbugs that belong to Plataspidae family (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). It is vertically transmitted to newborn nymphs through capsules laid on eggs by maternal stinkbugs. Previous research has established a pattern of strict cospeciation between Plataspidae stinkbugs and Ishikawaella. However, the possibility of host–symbiont coevolution at the population level within Plataspidae stinkbugs has not been thoroughly explored. This study analyzed the samples of Megacopta cribraria from three phylogenetic clades to investigate host–symbiont coevolution in this insect species. We compared data from third‐generation sequencing (PacBio), next‐generation sequencing (Illumina), and first‐generation sequencing (Sanger), and the results indicated that Illumina sequencing most accurately represents the composition of gut bacterial communities. All stinkbug individuals shared a dominant amplicon sequence variant (ASV), which accounted for an average of 65.99% of Ishikawaella sequences (ranging from 58.68% to 87.01%). The top five ASVs (ASV0–ASV4) represented 99.82% of all Ishikawaella sequences. Among these, the number of base substitutions between any two ASVs ranged from 1 to 3, significantly lower than the number of substitutions between the main and minor ASVs. This finding suggests that closely related strains are likely to coexist in the same host. Beta diversity analyses revealed significant differences in Ishikawaella composition among the three phylogenetic clades, providing evidence for host–symbiont coevolution at the population level in Plataspidae stinkbugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]