Dissecting Solidago canadensis–soil feedback in its real invasion

The importance of plant–soil feedback (PSF) has long been recognized, but the current knowledge on PSF patterns and the related mechanisms mainly stems from laboratory experiments. We aimed at addressing PSF effects on community performance and their determinants using an invasive forb Solidago canadensis. To do so, we surveyed 81 pairs of invaded versus uninvaded plots, collected soil samples from these pairwise plots, and performed an experiment with microcosm plant communities. The magnitudes of conditioning soil abiotic properties and soil biotic properties by S. canadensis were similar, but the direction was opposite; altered abiotic and biotic properties influenced the production of subsequent S. canadensis communities and its abundance similarly. These processes shaped neutral S. canadensis–soil feedback effects at the community level. Additionally, the relative dominance of S. canadensis increased with its ability of competitive suppression in the absence and presence of S. canadensis–soil feedbacks, and S. canadensis‐induced decreases in native plant species did not alter soil properties directly. These findings provide a basis for understanding PSF effects and the related mechanisms in the field conditions and also highlight the importance of considering PSFs holistically.     

Integration of physiological mechanisms that influence fertility in dairy cows

Fertility in dairy cows has been declining for the past three decades. Genetic selection for increased milk production has been associated with changes in key metabolic hormones (growth hormone, insulin, IGF and leptin) that regulate metabolism by homoeostasis and homeorhesis. These metabolic hormones, particularly insulin, provide signals to the reproductive system so that regulation of ovarian function is coordinated with changes in metabolic status. Studies have shown, for example, that increasing circulating insulin concentrations during the early post partum period can advance the resumption of oestrous cycles by enhancing follicular growth. However, high concentrations of insulin can be detrimental to the developmental competence of oocytes, which is also influenced by the supply of fatty acids at the systemic level and at the ovarian level. Insulin status is also associated with the incidence and characteristics of abnormal ovarian cycles. These changes can occur without significant variation in circulating gonadotrophin concentrations. This suggests that additional factors, such as peripheral metabolites, metabolic hormones and locally produced growth factors, may have a modulating role. Recent evidence has demonstrated that ovarian responses to metabolic signals and nutrient profile vary according to the stage of the reproductive cycle. Improved understanding of this multifactorial process enables nutrition to be matched to genotype and milk production, with a positive impact on pregnancy rate.     

理论预测果蝇polⅡ启动子

基于果蝇polⅡ启动予的序列特征,利用结合了离散增量和位置权重矩阵的贝叶斯判别函数对果蝇启动予进行了预测。对预测算法进行10交叉检验。通过比较不同大小训练集对结果的影响,说明了参数选取的合理性和算法的预测能力。同时比较了不同参数的选取对预测结果的影响,从而获得最佳启动子预测结果。预测结果显示成功率达到93％,相互关联系数达到83％。     

Doxorubicin-induced alterations in kidney functioning,oxidative stress,DNA damage,and renal tissue morphology; Improvement by Acacia hydaspica tannin-rich ethyl acetate fraction

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline drug used for cancer treatment. However, its treatment is contiguous with toxic effects. We examined the nephroprotective potential of A. hydaspica polyphenol-rich ethyl acetate extract (AHE) against DOX persuaded nephrotoxicity. 36 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assorted into 6 groups. Control group received saline; DOX group: 3 mg/kg b.w. dosage of DOX intraperitoneally for 6 weeks (single dose/week). In co-treatment groups, 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w AHE was given orally for 6 weeks in concomitant with DOX (3 mg/kg b.w, i.p. injection per week) respectively. Standard group received silymarin 400 mg/kg b.w daily + DOX (single dose/week). Biochemical kidney function tests, oxidative stress markers, genotoxicity, antioxidant enzyme status, and histopathological changes were examined. DOX caused significant body weight loss and decrease kidney weight. DOX-induced marked deterioration in renal function indicators in both urine and serum, i.e., PH, specific gravity, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, globulin, blood urea nitrogen, etc. Also, DOX treatment increases renal tissue oxidative stress markers, while lower antioxidant enzymes in tissue along with degenerative alterations in the renal tissue compared to control rats. AHE co-treatment ameliorates DOX-prompted changes in serum and urine chemistry. Likewise, AHE treatment decreases sensitive markers of oxidative stress and prevented DNA damages by enhancing antioxidant enzyme levels. DOX induction in rats also caused DNA fragmentation which was restored by AHE co-treatment. Moreover, the histological observations evidenced that AHE effectively rescued the kidney tissue from DOX interceded oxidative damage. Our results suggest that co-treatment of AHE markedly improve DOX-induced deleterious effects in a dose-dependent manner. The potency of AHE co-treatment at 400 mg/kg dose is similar to silymarin. These outcomes revealed that A. hydaspica AHE extract might serve as a potential adjuvant that avoids DOX-induced nephrotoxicity.     

布南色林联合团体心理治疗慢性精神分裂症的疗效及对认知功能、社会功能和服药依从性的影响

摘要 目的：探讨布南色林联合团体心理治疗慢性精神分裂症（SZ）的疗效,分析其对认知功能、社会功能和服药依从性的影响。方法：选取124例慢性SZ患者随机分为对照组和观察组,对照组口服布南色林治疗,观察组在对照组基础上加以团体心理治疗,疗程均为2个月。治疗后,采用阳性与阴性症状量表（PANSS）和临床疗效总评量表-疾病严重程度（CGI-SI）评估两组患者治疗后的疗效,采用威斯康星卡片分类测验（WCST）评估两组患者治疗前后的认知功能,采用个人和社会功能量表（PSP）评估两组患者治疗前后的社会功能,评定两组患者治疗后的服药依从性。结果：治疗后,两组患者PANSS阳性症状、阴性症状、一般精神病理评分以及总评分均低于治疗前,且观察组低于对照组（P＜0.05）;两组患者CGI-SI评分均低于治疗前,且观察组低于对照组（P＜0.05）;两组患者WCST总应答数评分均高于治疗前,且观察组高于对照组（P＜0.05）;两组患者PSP总评分均高于治疗前,且观察组高于对照组（P＜0.05）;观察组服药依从性优于对照组（P＜0.05）。结论：布南色林联合团体心理治疗较单一布南色林治疗慢性SZ的治疗效果更好,能更好地提高患者的认知功能、社会功能以及服药依从性,值得临床借鉴推广。     

火棘不同组织内生细菌群落多样性

为了解火棘不同组织内生细菌群落多样性,该研究采用高通量测序技术对火棘内生细菌16S rRNA V5～V7可变区进行测序,分析火棘不同组织部位内生细菌群落多样性。结果表明:(1)从火棘根、茎、叶组织中共获得内生细菌OTU 1 818个,其中根部754个,茎部 308 个,叶部756个,三者共有 OTU 152 个。(2)物种分类显示,不同火棘组织内生细菌具有丰富的群落多样性,火棘根部内生细菌种类隶属于23门53纲137目216科373属557种,其中异样根瘤菌属(Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium)和链霉菌属(Streptomyces)为优势属,其相对丰度分别为 10.57%和 8.00%; 茎部内生细菌种类隶属于21门32纲76目126科204属270种,其中马赛菌属(Massilia)和未知分类的丛毛单胞菌科属(unclassified_f_Comamonadaceae)为优势属,其相对丰度分别为31.10%和12.82%; 叶部内生细菌种类隶属于21门52纲130目210科380属581种,其中土芽孢杆菌属(Geobacillus)和假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)为优势属,其相对丰度分别为12.31%和9.84%。(3)PICRUSt功能预测表明,根部内生细菌物种最丰富,参与各种代谢调控的细菌丰度最高。该研究结果为进一步探讨植物内生细菌功能,挖掘新的有益微生物资源提供了参考。     

沙地樟子松人工林土壤理化性质与微生物生物量的动态变化

为揭示不同林龄沙地樟子松人工林土壤理化性质和微生物生物量的动态和相互关系,以毛乌素沙地、科尔沁沙地和呼伦贝尔沙地不同林龄樟子松人工林为对象,分析土壤理化性质、土壤微生物生物量碳和微生物生物量氮变化规律。结果表明:樟子松人工林土壤理化性质随林龄增加在不同沙地中表现不同,毛乌素沙地土壤容重和养分含量明显降低,科尔沁沙地土壤孔隙度和养分含量明显升高,呼伦贝尔沙地土壤养分则呈现先增加后降低趋势。与土壤理化性质变化趋势类似,毛乌素沙地樟子松人工林土壤微生物生物量氮随着林龄的增加而降低,科尔沁沙地土壤微生物生物量氮随着林龄的增加而升高,呼伦贝尔沙地土壤微生物生物量氮随着林龄的增加呈先增加而后降低趋势。影响毛乌素沙地、科尔沁沙地和呼伦贝尔沙地土壤微生物生物量碳、氮的主要因子分别是硝态氮、铵态氮和有机质含量。毛乌素与科尔沁沙地樟子松人工林主要限制因子为土壤氮,而呼伦贝尔沙地樟子松受土壤有机碳限制较强。     

High-throughput isotopic analysis of RNA microarrays to quantify microbial resource use

Most microorganisms remain uncultivated, and typically their ecological roles must be inferred from diversity and genomic studies. To directly measure functional roles of uncultivated microbes, we developed Chip-stable isotope probing (SIP), a high-sensitivity, high-throughput SIP method performed on a phylogenetic microarray (chip). This approach consists of microbial community incubations with isotopically labeled substrates, hybridization of the extracted community rRNA to a microarray and measurement of isotope incorporation—and therefore substrate use—by secondary ion mass spectrometer imaging (NanoSIMS). Laboratory experiments demonstrated that Chip-SIP can detect isotopic enrichment of 0.5 atom % ¹³C and 0.1 atom % ¹⁵N, thus permitting experiments with short incubation times and low substrate concentrations. We applied Chip-SIP analysis to a natural estuarine community and quantified amino acid, nucleic acid or fatty acid incorporation by 81 distinct microbial taxa, thus demonstrating that resource partitioning occurs with relatively simple organic substrates. The Chip-SIP approach expands the repertoire of stable isotope-enabled methods available to microbial ecologists and provides a means to test genomics-generated hypotheses about biogeochemical function in any natural environment.     

Carryover effects from environmental change in early life: An overlooked driver of the amphibian extinction crisis?

Ecological carryover effects, or delayed effects of the environment on an organism's phenotype, are central predictors of individual fitness and a key issue in conservation biology. Climate change imposes increasingly variable environmental conditions that may be challenging to early life-history stages in animals with complex life histories, leading to detrimental physiological and fitness effects in later life. Yet, the latent nature of carryover effects, combined with the long temporal scales over which they can manifest, means that this phenomenon remains understudied and is often overlooked in short-term studies limited to single life-history stages. Herein, we review evidence for the physiological carryover effects induced by elevated ultraviolet radiation (UVR; 280–400 nm) as a potential contributor to recent amphibian population declines. UVR exposure causes a suite of molecular, cellular and physiological consequences known to underpin carryover effects in other taxa, but there is a lack of research linking embryonic and larval UVR exposures to fitness consequences post-metamorphosis in amphibians. We propose that the key impacts of UVR on disease-related amphibian declines are facilitated through carryover effects that bridge embryonic and larval UVR exposure with potential increased disease susceptibility post-metamorphosis. We conclude by identifying a practical direction for the study of ecological carryover effects in amphibians that could guide future ecological research in the broader field of conservation physiology. Only by addressing carryover effects can many of the mechanistic links between environmental change and population declines be elucidated.     

阿奇霉素序贯治疗联合硫酸特布他林对肺炎支原体肺炎患儿肺功能和血清IL-6、CRP、PCT水平的影响

摘要 目的：探讨阿奇霉素序贯治疗联合硫酸特布他林对肺炎支原体肺炎（MPP）患儿肺功能和血清白介素-6（IL-6）、降钙素原（PCT）、C反应蛋白（CRP）水平的影响。方法：于2018年1月-2019年12月期间,选取80例来我院就诊的MPP患儿,根据入院顺序将患儿分为对照组（40例,阿奇霉素序贯治疗）和实验组（40例,阿奇霉素联合硫酸特布他林治疗）,对比两组疗效、住院时间及临床症状缓解时间、肺功能、不良反应及血清炎症因子水平。结果：实验组的胸片恢复正常时间、住院时间、啰音消失时间、退热时间、咳嗽消失时间短于对照组（P<0.05）。实验组治疗后的临床总有效率95.00%（38/40）高于对照组的77.50%（31/40）（P<0.05）。实验组治疗后用力肺活量（FVC）、第1秒用力呼气容积（FEV₁）、呼气峰值流速（PEF）均高于对照组,IL-6、PCT、CRP均低于对照组（P<0.05）。两组不良反应发生率组间对比无明显差异（P>0.05）。结论：阿奇霉素序贯治疗联合硫酸特布他林治疗MPP患儿,可有效缓解临床症状,降低机体炎症反应,改善患儿肺功能,不良反应轻微,协同作用显著。