The regulatory role of CO2 on nutrient releases from ashed rice straw phytoliths

Biogeochemistry - Phytolith is widely known as a silica structure in numerous silicon (Si) accumulator plants, e.g., rice, and it contains various nutrients and other beneficial elements. When rice...     

Sexual rest and post‐meiotic sperm ageing in house mice

Fertilization by aged sperm can result in adverse fitness consequences for both males and females. Sperm storage during male sexual rest could provide an environment for post‐meiotic sperm senescence causing a deterioration in the quality of stored sperm, possibly impacting on both sperm performance (e.g. swimming ability) and DNA quality. Here, we compared the proportion of sperm with fragmented DNA, an indicator of structural damage of DNA within the sperm cell, among males that had been sexually rested for approximately 2 months, to that of males that had mated recently. We found no evidence of intra‐epididymal sperm DNA damage or any impairment in sperm performance, and consequently no evidence of post‐meiotic sperm senescence. Our results suggest that male house mice are likely to possess mechanisms that function to ensure that their sperm reserves remain stocked with ‘young’, viable sperm during periods of sexual inactivity. We also discuss the possibility that our experimental design leads to no difference in the age of sperm among males from the two mating treatments. Post‐meiotic sperm senescence is especially relevant under sperm competition. Thus, we sourced mice from populations that differed in their levels of post‐copulatory sexual selection, enabling us to gain insight into how selection for higher sperm production influences the rate of sperm ageing and levels of DNA fragmentation. We found that males from the population that produced the highest number of sperm also had the smallest proportion of DNA‐fragmented sperm and discuss this outcome in relation to selection acting upon males to ensure that they produce ejaculates with high‐quality sperm that are successful in achieving fertilizations under competitive conditions.     

Artesunate dose escalation for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in a region of reported artemisinin resistance: a randomized clinical trial

Background

The emergence of artemisinin resistance has raised concerns that the most potent antimalarial drug may be under threat. The currently recommended daily dose of artesunate (AS) is 4 mg/kg, and is administered for 3 days together with a partner antimalarial drug. This study investigated the impact of different AS doses on clinical and parasitological responses in malaria patients from an area of known artemisinin resistance in western Cambodia.

Methods

Adult patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria were randomized into one of three 7-day AS monotherapy regimens: 2, 4 or 6 mg/kg/day (total dose 14, 28 and 42 mg/kg). Clinical, parasitological, pharmacokinetic and in vitro drug sensitivity data was collected over a 7-day inpatient period and during weekly follow-up to 42 days.

Results

143 patients were enrolled (n = 75, 40 and 28 to receive AS 2, 4 and 6 mg/kg/day respectively). Cure rates were high in all treatment groups at 42 days despite almost half the patients remaining parasitemic on Day 3. There was no impact of increasing AS dose on median parasite clearance times, median parasite clearance rates or on the proportion of patients remaining parasitemic on Day 3. However at the lowest dose used (2 mg/kg/d) patients with parasitemia >10,000/µL had longer median (IQR) parasite clearance times than those with parasitemia <10,000/µL (63 (48–75) vs. 84 (66–96) hours, p<0.0001). 19% of patients in the high-dose arm developed neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count <1.0×10⁹/L) by Day 14 and resulted in the arm being halted early.

Conclusion

There is no pharmacodynamic benefit of increasing the daily dose of AS (4mg/kg) currently recommended for short-course combination treatment of uncomplicated malaria, even in regions with emerging artemisinin resistance, as long as the partner drug retains high efficacy.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00722150","term_id":"NCT00722150"}}NCT00722150.     

铅锌镉联合染毒及营养干预对大鼠血液系统的影响研究

目的:了解铅锌镉联合染毒对大鼠血液系统的影响及营养干预对其损伤的修复作用。方法:选择SPF级初断乳Wistar大鼠72只,随机分为对照组、染毒组和干预组,分别采用生理盐水、铅锌镉联合染毒液及染毒后以营养干预液灌胃28天和56天之后,检测其血液系统中五元素和血细胞的指标。结果:染毒组较对照组大鼠血铜、血锌含量高,血钙含量低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);染毒组血铜含量高于干预组,血钙含量低于干预组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);干预组红细胞(RBC)计数、血红蛋白(Hb)、血细胞比容(HCT)均高于染毒组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);对照组白细胞(WBC)计数高于染毒组、干预组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:铅镉对大鼠血铜、血钙、血锌水平有影响;综合营养干预对重金属元素造成的血液系统损伤有明显的拮抗作用,对血液系统有一定的保护及修复作用。     

甘蓝型油菜种子硫代葡萄糖苷含量的QTL定位及候选基因鉴定

【目的】为了解析油菜种子硫代葡萄糖苷性状的重要遗传位点及候选基因,【方法】本研究利用KN DH群体在冬性环境2015-2018连续4年的种子硫苷含量表型和KN 高密度SNP遗传连锁图谱,通过Wincart 2.5软件的符合区间作图法对甘蓝型油菜种子硫代葡萄糖苷含量进行QTL定位和潜在候选基因鉴定。【结果】共鉴定到47个硫苷含量QTL,单个QTL解释表型变异最大是qGC.16YL19-4(19.44%),解释表型变异最小的是qGC.15YL12-5(1.82%)。利用元分析的方法将初步鉴定的47个QTL整合为38个consensus QTL,其中7个consensus QTL(cqGC.A9-5、cqGC.A9-7、cqGC.A9-9、cqGC.C2-9、cqGC.C2-10、cqGC.C9-5和cqGC.C9-6)为环境稳定表达QTL,包括3个硫苷含量主效QTL(cqGC.A9-5、cqGC.C2-10和cqGC.C9-5)。在主效QTLcqGC.A9-5和cqGC.C9-5鉴定到3个候选基因BnaA09g05480D,BnaC09g05620D和BnaC09g05810D,其功能主要涉及了油菜硫苷生物合成途径中吲哚-3-乙醛肟(IAOx)的合成和将2-烷基-苹果酸异构化形成3-烷基-苹果酸酯,以及硫苷的转运与分配。【结论】本研究获得了油菜种子硫苷含量3个主效QTL及3个候选基因,该结果为硫苷含量相关基因的功能机械和优质油菜品种培育提供理论依据。