Heat stress responses and population genetics of the kelp Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae) across latitudes reveal differentiation among North Atlantic populations

To understand the thermal plasticity of a coastal foundation species across its latitudinal distribution, we assess physiological responses to high temperature stress in the kelp Laminaria digitata in combination with population genetic characteristics and relate heat resilience to genetic features and phylogeography. We hypothesize that populations from Arctic and cold‐temperate locations are less heat resilient than populations from warm distributional edges. Using meristems of natural L. digitata populations from six locations ranging between Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen (79°N), and Quiberon, France (47°N), we performed a common‐garden heat stress experiment applying 15°C to 23°C over eight days. We assessed growth, photosynthetic quantum yield, carbon and nitrogen storage, and xanthophyll pigment contents as response traits. Population connectivity and genetic diversity were analyzed with microsatellite markers. Results from the heat stress experiment suggest that the upper temperature limit of L. digitata is nearly identical across its distribution range, but subtle differences in growth and stress responses were revealed for three populations from the species’ ecological range margins. Two populations at the species’ warm distribution limit showed higher temperature tolerance compared to other populations in growth at 19°C and recovery from 21°C (Quiberon, France), and photosynthetic quantum yield and xanthophyll pigment responses at 23°C (Helgoland, Germany). In L. digitata from the northernmost population (Spitsbergen, Norway), quantum yield indicated the highest heat sensitivity. Microsatellite genotyping revealed all sampled populations to be genetically distinct, with a strong hierarchical structure between southern and northern clades. Genetic diversity was lowest in the isolated population of the North Sea island of Helgoland and highest in Roscoff in the English Channel. All together, these results support the hypothesis of moderate local differentiation across L. digitata's European distribution, whereas effects are likely too weak to ameliorate the species’ capacity to withstand ocean warming and marine heatwaves at the southern range edge.     

Aidi injection,a traditional Chinese biomedical preparation for gynecologic tumors: a systematic review and PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Aidi injection (ADI), a traditional Chinese biomedical preparation, is a promising adjuvant therapy for gynecologic tumors (GTs), including cervical cancer (CC), endometrial cancer (EC), and ovarian cancer (OC). Although studies have reported positively on ADI therapy, its exact effects and safety in GT patients remain controversial. Therefore, a wide-ranging systematic search of electronic databases was performed for this meta-analysis. Data from 38 trials including 3309 GT patients were analyzed. The results indicated that the combination of conventional treatment and ADI markedly improved the patients’ overall response rate (P<0.00001), disease control rate (P<0.00001), and quality of life (P<0.05) compared with conventional treatment alone. Furthermore, patient immunity was enhanced with combined treatment, as indicated by significantly increased percentages of CD3⁺ (P=0.005) and CD4⁺ (P<0.00001) and increased CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio (P=0.001). Most of the adverse events caused by radiochemotherapy such as gastrointestinal issues, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and hepatotoxicity, (P<0.05 for all) were significantly alleviated when ADI was used in the GT patients. However, other adverse events such as nephrotoxicity, diarrhea, alopecia, and neurotoxicity did not significantly differ between the two groups. Overall, these results suggest that the combination of conventional and ADI treatment is more effective than conventional treatment alone.     

Correlations between glycolysis with clinical traits and immune function in bladder urothelial carcinoma

Background: Glycolysis was a representative hallmark in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and we aimed to explore the correlations between glycolysis with immune activity and clinical traits in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA).Methods: Our study obtained glycolysis scores for each BLCA samples from TCGA by a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm, based on a glycolytic gene set. The relationship between glycolysis with prognosis, clinical characteristics, and immune function were investigated subsequently.Results: We found that enhanced glycolysis was associated with poor prognosis and metastasis in BLCA. Moreover, glycolysis had a close correlation with immune function, and enhanced glycolysis increased immune activities. In other words, glycolysis had a positive correlation with immune activities. Immune checkpoints such as IDO1, CD274, were up-regulated in high-glycolysis group as well.Conclusion: We speculated that in BLCA, elevated glycolysis enhanced immune function, which caused tumor cells to overexpress immune checkpoints to evade immune surveillance. Inhibition of glycolysis might be a promising assistant for immunotherapy in bladder cancer.     

Length–weight relationships of seven fish species in the Yangtze River Estuary and its adjacent waters,Eastern China

The length–weight relationships (LWRs) for seven fish species belonging to five families in the Yangtze River Estuary and its adjacent waters are presented. Cynoglossus gracilis, Cynoglossus macrolepidotus, Ctenotrypauchen chinensis, Collichthys niveatus, Ophichthus apicalis and Erisphex potti were collected monthly in 2009 using trammel nets (the size of smaller mesh net was 1.5 m × 15 m × 4 panels with mesh sizes of 2.5, 3.4, 4.3 and 5.8 cm; the size of larger-mesh net was 2.4 m × 30 m × 4 panels with mesh sizes of 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0 cm; soaking overnight). Lophiogobius ocellicauda were collected December in 2020 using shrimp trawl nets (mesh size 2.0 cm). The precision of measurement for the fish specimens is 0.1 cm total length and 0.1 g total weight. The estimated ranges of the parameters a and b for the seven fish species were from 0.0001 to 0.0289 and 2.718 to 3.541, respectively. Two new maximum total length were recorded for Ctenotrypauchen chinensis and Ophichthus apicalis.     

Effects of corallivory and coral colony density on coral growth and survival

A suite of processes drive variation in coral populations in space and time, yet our understanding of how variation in coral density affects coral performance is limited. Theory predicts that reductions in density can send coral populations into a predator pit, where concentrated corallivory maintains corals at low densities. In reality, how variation in coral density alters corallivory rates is poorly resolved. Here, we experimentally quantified the effects of corallivory and coral density on growth and survival of small colonies of the staghorn coral Acropora pulchra. Our findings suggest that coral density and corallivory have strong but independent effects on coral performance. In the presence of corallivores, corals suffered high but density-independent mortality. When corallivores were excluded, however, vertical extension rates of colonies increased with increasing densities. While we found no evidence for a predator pit, our results suggest that spatio-temporal variation in corallivore and coral densities can fundamentally alter population dynamics via strong effects on juvenile corals.

     

Association of myostatin deficiency with collagen related disease-umbilical hernia and tippy toe standing in pigs

Transgenic Research - Herein, we investigate the high incidence of umbilical hernia and tippy-toe standing and their underlying changes in gene expression and proliferation in myostatin knockout...     

基于景感生态学理念的乡村社会-生态系统供给服务研究

乡村社会-生态系统的稳定和可持续发展为农业农村现代化的实现奠定着基础,在稳定社会经济发展、提高城乡居民福祉方面发挥着重要作用。服务性公共设施作为乡村社会-生态系统供给服务的重要组成部分,代表了乡村的发展水平与该地区居民生活质量水平。研究公共服务设施的空间分布特征和综合评价其供给服务可改善乡村社会-生态系统结构,为城乡居民提供高质量的社会生态系统服务。以厦门市岛外城市化乡村为研究对象,通过厦门市岛外POI数据和乡村社会经济统计数据,以公共服务设施为景感载体,分析其空间分布和测度其供给服务水平,采用核密度分析方法与熵值分析法,分析厦门市乡村社会-生态系统供给服务空间分布特征,结合人口、经济、距岛内核心区距离等指标对各村庄社会-生态系统供给服务能力进行皮尔逊相关性分析。研究发现厦门乡村公共设施供给服务能力表现为集美区 > 海沧区 > 同安区 > 翔安区;各村庄公共设施供给服务能力水平影响因素是多元且具有多样性的;提出从城乡居民的认知心理与物质需求出发对公共设施进行景感生态营造以提高村庄社会-生态系统供给服务能力,更好满足人们的需求。本文对公共服务设施的空间优化提出对策建议,研究结果可为乡村社会-生态系统供给服务提升和乡村可持续发展提供理论研究依据。     

中国兽类分类与系统演化研究进展

中国兽类（即哺乳动物）种类繁多,对维持生态平衡发挥着重要的作用。自John R.Reeves于1829—1834年在我国广东开展兽类调查以来,近200年我国兽类分类及系统学研究取得了令世人瞩目的进步和发展。目前中国已知的兽类物种数已达686种,约占全世界兽类种数的10%,是世界上兽类物种多样性最丰富的国家之一。随着我国对生态环境保护的重视,生态环境日益改善,但全球气候变化、生境破碎化、人类活动增加及人兽共患重大疫情涌现等问题仍十分突出,兽类多样性调查及分类学研究的必要性越发明显。同时,兽类分类学这门古老而传统的学科也在不断引入各种新方法与技术,如整合分类学、标本数字化、模式标本测序、便携式测序技术及基于深度学习技术的物种识别鉴定等,分类学研究的成果及应用在近年得到了飞速发展。动物分类学作为传统的基础学科,是遗传学、生理学、生态学、医学、药学等现代生物学的基石。然而,由于学科特征和差异等原因,该学科近年来没有得到足够的重视,导致出现了学科萎缩和分类学人才后继无人的危机。因此,从国家层面对分类学、形态学等基础学科的人才培养、课题设置和资金投入等,予以特殊的政策支持,十分必要,也亟待解决。