Measurement and modelling of photosynthetic response of pearl millet to soil phosphorus addition

There have been no studies of the effects of soil P deficiency on pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) photosynthesis, despite the fact that P deficiency is the major constraint to pearl millet production in most regions of West Africa. Because current photosynthesis-based crop simulation models do not explicitly take into account P deficiency effects on leaf photosynthesis, they cannot predict millet growth without extensive calibration. We studied the effects of soil addition on leaf P content, photosynthetic rate (A), and whole-plant dry matter production (DM) of non-water-stressed, 28 d pearl millet plants grown in pots containing 6.00 kg of a P-deficient soil. As soil P addition increased from 0 to 155.2 mg P kg^–1 soil, leaf P content increased from 0.65 to 7.0 g kg^–1. Both A and DM had maximal values near 51.7 mg P kg^–1 soil, which corresponded to a leaf P content of 3.2 g kg^–1. Within this range of soil P addition, the slope of A plotted against stomatal conductance (g_s) tripled, and mean leaf internal CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]_i) decreased from 260 to 92 L L^–1, thus indicating that P deficiency limited A through metabolic dysfunction rather than stomatal regulation. Light response curves of A, which changed markedly with P leaf content, were modelled as a single substrate, Michaelis-Menten reaction, using quantum flux as the substrate for each level of soil P addition. An Eadie-Hofstee plot of light response data revealed that both K_M, which is mathematically equivalent to quantum efficiency, and V_max, which is the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis, increased sharply from leaf P contents of 0.6 to 3 g kg^–1, with peak values between 4 and 5 g P kg^–1. Polynomial equations relating K_M and V_max, to leaf P content offered a simple and attractive way of modelling photosynthetic light response for plants of different P status, but this approach is somewhat complicated by the decrease of leaf P content with ontogeny.     

Interacting effects of pH,aluminium and base cations on growth and mineral composition of the woodland grasses Bromus benekenii and Hordelymus europaeus

The influence of base cation concentrations on pH and aluminium sensitivity of the woodland grasses Bromus benekenii and Hordelymus europaeus was studied in flowing solution culture experiments. Plants were exposed to low pH (3.9, experiment 1) and Al concentrations of 19 and 37 M (experiment 2) at two base cation (Ca+Mg+K) levels, all within the ranges measured in natural forest soil solutions. Elevated base cation concentrations ameliorated both H and Al toxicity, as indicated by increased root and shoot growth. In the third experiment, interactions between pH (4.3 and 4.0) and Al (0 and 19 M) were investigated. It was shown that the combined toxicity effects of H and Al were not greater than the separate H or Al effects. Tissue concentrations of base cations and Al increased with increasing concentrations in the solution, but were also influenced by the base cation : Al ratio. Relating the experimental evidence with the composition of forest soil solutions suggests an important role of soil pH and Al in controlling the distribution of the two species. Growth conditions also differ at various soil depths. Concentrations of free cationic Al were higher and base cation concentrations lower at 5–10 cm than at 0–5 cm soil depth. Increasing base cation concentrations may protect roots from both H and Al injury during periods of drought when concentrations of most elements increase in the soil solution, whereas molar ratios between base cations, H and Al remain unchanged.     

Solution structure by 1H and dynamics by natural abundance 13C NMR of a receptor recognising peptide derived from a C-terminal fragment of neuropeptide Y

Summary A peptide consisting of 20 amino acid residues, derived from a C-terminal fragment of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and showing high affinity to NPY receptors, was synthesised. Its sequence is PAADLARYRHYIN-LITRQRY-NH₂, and the solution structure was calculated from NMR-derived distance and torsion angle restraints, obtained at 15°C in a solvent mixture of water and 30% (v/v) 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol, by using DIANA and restrained energy minimisation. The structure was found to consist of a well-defined -helix in the centre, with a few residues at the termini having less well defined conformations. The spinlattice and spin-spin relaxation rates of -carbons have been determined on ¹³C at natural abundance. From 1D experiments the global rotational correlation time was determined and from 2D experiments the dynamics of each individual residue was obtained. The results demonstrate that the C-H vectors in the -helix essentially follow the global motion. Towards the termini, contributions from local dynamics increase. This tendency is correlated to the increasing uncertainty of the structure towards the peptide ends. An effective molecular volume was calculated from the temperature dependence of the global rotational correlation time. This is well compatible with a monomeric peptide, solvated by water and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol. The presence of peptide dimers was ruled out as being inconsistent with the relaxation data.Supplementary material available from the authors: Two data tables and 10 PDB coordinate files of the calculated NMR structures of P7. One data table contains all detected and integrated NOE intensities; the other connects each proton and pseudoatom to an atom number used in the NOE table. The table contents served as input data files for CALIBA.Currently on leave from the Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Tallinn, Estonia.     

Effects of aluminium on growth and cation uptake in seedlings of Eucalyptus mannifera and Pinus radiata

This experiment was designed to examine the effects of aluminium (Al) on the growth of Pinus radiata (D. Don) and Eucalyptus mannifera subsp. mannifera (Mudie) seedlings in culture solutions in a glasshouse to help explain the failure of radiata pine trees on some acid, low fertility soils in Australia on which the native eucalypts flourish. Aluminium (Al) in culture solution increased the growth of roots and shoots of seedlings of both species but while growth of the eucalypt continued to increase with increases in Al to 2.222 μM, growth of the pine was largest at 370 μM Al. In addition to total root length, specific root length (length per unit dry weight), a measure of fineness of the root, increased in the eucalypt seedlings as the substrate Al increased. Growth of the shoots and roots of the pine in the absence of any added Al was extremely poor suggesting that Al, in low concentrations, may be an essential element or ameliorate some other factors in solution culture at low pH. Root and shoot concentrations of K increased with increasing Al, whilst Ca and Mg Concentrations decreased and Mn concentrations were unaffected in both species. Tissue Ca and Mg concentrations were 2 to 3 times higher in the eucalypt seedlings than the pine at all levels of added Al due to greater uptake of these elements by the eucalypt. In contrast, at the highest concentration of Al in the medium, shoot Al concentrations were lower in the cucalypt than in the pine due to a greater proportion of Al being retained in the eucalypt roots. These differences between the seedlings in terms of root growth and tissue cation concentrations may help explain the ability of eucalypt species to maintain vigorous growth on acid soils high in Al and low in Ca and P, where growth of the pines failed.     

温度及采收期对砀山酥梨耐贮性的影响研究

本文利用灰色系统理论对供试酥梨的适宜贮温、最佳采收期及较优窖形作了综合性研究,结果表明:三种贮温中O℃库温的保鲜效果最理想,关联度达0.9123;就地冷贮以八月底采收为佳,关联度达0.8941;四种供比较的窖形中以3号窖贮藏效果为著,关联度为0.9028．     

Antimicrobial activity of lipoprotein particles containing apolipoprotein Al

Human plasmain vitro inhibits the growth of coagulase negative staphylococci,S. epidermidis, which may be pathogenic in the immunocompromised host. To determine the antimicrobial components, serum was fractionated by column chromatography, which revealed that elution areas where lipoproteins can be yielded had high antimicrobial activity againstS. epidermidis. Therefore, lipoprotein fractions, including very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL), were separated by ultracentrifugation and incubated withS. epidermidis. All 3 lipoprotein fractions suppressed bacterial growth within the first 3 h but VLDL enhanced bacterial growth after 9 h of incubation compared with the control. HDL, however, inhibited bacterial growth throughout 21 h of incubation.To confirm these results, serum from healthy volunteers was separated by ion exchange column chromatography and again by HPLC to purify the antimicrobial fraction. In the protein analysis with gradient polyacrylamide-SDS gel, apolipoprotein Al (apo Al), which is a major apolipoprotein of HDL, was detected in the antimicrobial fraction. Therefore, this fraction was loaded onto an immunoaffinity column coupled with the anti-apo Al monoclonal antibody (Mab). Unbound fraction had no antimicrobial activity, but anti-S. epidermidis activity was recovered from the bound fraction which consisted mainly of apo Al, All and apo C in protein composition.These results indicated that the antimicrobial activity was associated with the apo Al-containing lipoprotein particles (HDL). This property of HDL may directly affect bacterial growth and promote the self-defense mechanisms of normal and immunocompromised individuals.     

北京鸭血清HDL主要载脂蛋白的高效液相层析分离及其理化性质

用高效液相层析(HPLC)对北京鸭血清高密度脂蛋白(HDL)的所有载脂蛋白(apo)分离纯化,得五个主要apo峰,经SDS-PAGE鉴定,均为单一带;并做了IEF、糖基含量分析;对其中含量高的四个apo峰样进行了氨基酸组成测定和N-端部分氨基酸序列分析;从所做理化性质的研究,发现北京鸭血清HDL中的主要apo为:A-Ⅰ、C-Ⅲ_o、apoC-Ⅲ_s(s=1,2)、apoC's及可能的A-Ⅲ,几乎不含E和A-Ⅱ_o北京鸭HDL中apo的上述组成特点明显不同于易患动脉粥样硬化(As)的人及兔等动物,在一定程度上决定了北京鸭HDL的形成与代谢具有其特点,该特点与北京鸭不易形成As密切相关。     

肝硬化原发性肝癌直径<1 cm超声造影表现及其与血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平相关性研究

摘要 目的：探讨肝硬化原发性肝癌（PHC）直径<1cm超声造影（CEUS）表现及其与血清α-L-岩藻糖苷酶（AFU）、甲胎蛋白异质体-L3（AFP-L3）、磷脂酰肌醇蛋白聚糖-3（GPC3）、肿瘤特异生长因子（TSGF）、高尔基体糖蛋白（GP73）水平相关性。方法：选取2018年1月-2022年8月于湖北省襄阳市中医院收治的肝硬化PHC直径<1 cm患者44例,根据术后病理结果分为高分化组、中分化组和低分化组。所有患者术前均完善CEUS和血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平检查。比较三组CEUS表现、定量时间-强度曲线（TIC）分析、血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平。采用Spearman相关性分析肝硬化PHC直径<1 cm患者的CEUS表现与血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平的相关性。结果：44例肝硬化PHC直径<1 cm患者的CEUS表现均为肝内单发病灶,呈圆形或类圆形,病灶边界清晰,周围可见声晕。不同分化程度肝硬化PHC直径<1 cm患者在动脉期、门脉期和延迟期的CEUS表现上差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。高分化组、中分化组和低分化组的达峰时间、廓清时间和峰值加速时间逐渐减少,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。而高分化组、中分化组和低分化组的峰值强度增加率逐渐增加,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。高分化组、中分化组和低分化组的增强时间对比差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。高分化组、中分化组和低分化组血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平逐渐升高,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。Spearman相关性分析显示,达峰时间、廓清时间和峰值加速时间与血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平呈负相关（P＜0.05）;峰值强度增加率与血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平呈正相关（P＜0.05）。结论：肝硬化PHC直径<1 cm患者的CEUS表现均为肝内单发病灶,呈圆形或类圆形,病灶边界清晰,周围可见声晕。CEUS表现和血清AFU、AFP-L3、GPC3、TSGF、GP73水平具有相关性,两者可辅助鉴别肝硬化PHC直径<1 cm的不同分化程度。     

传染性单核细胞增多症患儿NLR、CD4+/CD8+比值、ADA与EBV-DNA载量的相关性分析及对肝损害的影响

摘要 目的：探讨传染性单核细胞增多症（IM）患儿外周血中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比值（NLR）、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值、腺苷脱氨酶（ADA）与EB病毒（EBV）-脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）载量的相关性,分析其对IM患儿肝损害的影响。方法：选择2019年1月至2022年4月我院儿科收治的102例IM患儿（IM组）,另选择同期我科收治的95例EB病毒检测阴性的发热患儿（非IM组）和体检健康的73例健康儿童（对照组）。根据是否发生肝损害将IM患儿分为肝损害组（61例）和非肝损害组（41例）。比较外周血NLR、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值、ADA与EBV-DNA载量,Pearson法分析NLR、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值、ADA与EBV-DNA载量的相关性。多因素Logistic回归分析IM患儿发生肝损害的影响因素。结果：IM组ADA高于非IM组和对照组（P＜0.05）,且非IM组高于对照组（P＜0.05）,NLR、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值低于非IM组和对照组（P＜0.05）,且非IM组低于对照组（P＜0.05）,IM组EBV-DNA载量高于非IM组（P＜0.05）。IM患儿ADA与EBV-DNA载量呈正相关（r=0.493,P＜0.05）,NLR、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值与EBV-DNA载量呈负相关（r=-0.419、-472,P＜0.05）。肝损害组ADA、EBV-DNA载量高于非肝损害组（P＜0.05）,NLR、CD4⁺/CD8+⁺比值低于非肝损害组（P＜0.05）。肝脏肿大、高EBV-DNA载量、高ADA是IM患儿肝损害的危险因素（P＜0.05）,高NLR、高CD4⁺/ CD8⁺比值是保护因素（P＜0.05）。结论：IM患儿ADA增高,NLR、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值降低,与EBV-DNA载量增加以及肝损害有关。     

2型糖尿病伴慢性牙周炎患者龈沟液Omentin-1、MMP-9、OPG/RANKL比值与牙周指标、氧化应激和NLRP3炎症小体的关系

摘要 目的：探讨2型糖尿病（T2DM）伴慢性牙周炎（CP）患者龈沟液网膜素-1（Omentin-1）、基质金属蛋白酶-9（MMP-9）、骨保护素（OPG）/细胞核因子κB受体活化因子配体（RANKL）比值与牙周指标、氧化应激和核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体蛋白3（NLRP3）炎症小体的关系。方法：选择2020年6月至2022年6月首都医科大学附属北京康复医院收治的73例T2DM患者（T2DM组）,77例CP患者（CP组）,83例T2DM伴CP患者（T2DM伴CP组）。检测所有患者龈沟液中Omentin-1、MMP-9、OPG/RANKL比值,分析其与牙周指标、氧化应激和NLRP3炎症小体相关分子信使核糖核酸（mRNA）表达的相关性。结果：T2DM伴CP组龈沟液中Omentin-1,OPG/RANKL比值、总抗氧化能力（TAC）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）低于T2DM组和CP组（P＜0.05）,MMP-9、丙二醛（MDA）、NLRP3mRNA、凋亡相关斑点样蛋白（ASC）mRNA、半胱氨酸蛋白酶-1（caspase-1）mRNA表达以及出血指数（SBI）、菌斑指数（PLI）、牙周袋探诊深度（PD）、附着丧失（AL）高于T2DM组和CP组（P＜0.05）。T2DM伴CP患者龈沟液中Omentin-1、OPG/RANKL比值与TAC、SOD呈正相关（P＜0.05）,与MDA、NLRP3mRNA、ASC mRNA、caspase-1mRNA表达以及PLI、SBI、AL、PD呈负相关（P＜0.05）,MMP-9与TAC、SOD呈负相关（P＜0.05）,与MDA、NLRP3mRNA、ASC mRNA、caspase-1mRNA表达以及PLI、SBI、AL、PD呈正相关（P＜0.05）。结论：T2DM伴CP患者龈沟液中Omentin-1水平、OPG/ RANKL比值降低,MMP-9水平升高,与牙周组织破坏加重、氧化应激、NLRP3炎症小体激活有关。