首云铁矿废弃土壤对2种景天属植物生长的影响

为评价景天属（Sedum）植物在矿山废弃地植被恢复中的应用潜力,以2种景天：德国景天（S. hybridum ‘Immergrunchen’）和胭脂红景天（S. spurium ‘Coccineum’）的扦插苗为试验材料,通过盆栽试验研究其在北京首云铁矿废弃土壤（包括采矿区土壤、排土场土壤、尾矿砂）2个生长季内的各项生长指标,以确定其在各废弃土壤上的适应性,并运用相关分析和典范对应分析,探讨影响2种景天生长的主要土壤理化性质。结果表明：①2种景天在采矿区土壤、排土场土壤和尾矿砂上的存活率分别为40%~66%、68%~90%、33%~46%;②不同废弃土壤对2种景天的地上部分和地下根系的各项生长指标均产生了显著的抑制作用,但德国景天在采矿区土壤的适应性较好,可作为采矿区修复的推荐品种,胭脂红景天在排土场土壤的生长表现较好,可作为排土场的修复品种;③影响景天属植物生长的土壤因子为通气孔隙度和土壤含水量,其中通气孔隙度的解释率为12.4%,土壤含水量的解释率为8.6%。     

明胶/海藻酸钠/沙蒿胶复合水凝胶的制备及表征

为探究明胶（G）、海藻酸钠（SA）,沙蒿胶（ASKG）对复合水凝胶的力学性能、溶胀和保湿性能的影响,采用共混-离子交联法制备海藻酸钠/明胶/沙蒿胶复合水凝胶,并对制得的水凝胶进行结构表征和溶血率测试。结果表明:当G质量分数为2.5%,SA为1.5%,ASKG为0.7%时,复合水凝胶压缩强度达到427.2 kPa,拉伸强度达到563.449 kPa,断裂伸长率为117%,溶胀率为744%,且具有较好的保湿性能。红外光谱表明,由于沙蒿胶中存在大量羟基,因此加入沙蒿胶后在3 300 cm^-1～3 600 cm^-1羟基峰形变宽。G/SA/ASKG复合水凝胶溶血率低于5%,具有较好的网络孔结构和血液相容性,为复合水凝胶在医用敷料方面的应用提供一定的参考价值。     

The shear modulus of lower-leg muscles correlates to intramuscular pressure

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is emerging as an innovative tool to evaluate muscle properties and function. It has been shown to correlate with both passive and active muscle forces, and is sensitive to physiological processes and pathological conditions. Similarly, intramuscular pressure (IMP) is an important parameter that changes with passive and active muscle contraction, body position, exercise, blood pressure, and several pathologies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the dependency of shear modulus within the lower-leg muscles on IMP in healthy individuals. Nineteen healthy individuals (age: Mean age ± SD, 23.84 ± 6.64 years) were recruited. Shear modulus was measured using ultrasound SWE on the tibialis anterior (TA) and peroneus longus (PL) muscles using pressure cuff inflation around the thigh at 40 mmHg, 80 mmHg, and 120 mmHg. Changes in IMP were verified using a catheter connected to a blood pressure monitor. It was found that IMP was correlated to TA and PL shear modulus (spearman's rank correlation = 0.99 and 0.99, respectively). Applying a gradual increase of cuff pressure from 0 to 120 mmHg increased the shear modulus of the TA and PL muscles from 15.83 (2.46) kPa to 21.88 (4.33) kPa and from 9.64 (1.97) kPa to 12.88 (5.99) kPa, respectively. These results demonstrate that changes of muscle mechanical properties are dependent on IMP. This observation is important to improve interpretation of ultrasound elastograms and to potentially use it as a biomarker for more accurate diagnosis of pathologies related to increased IMP.     

Studies of membranotropic and fusogenic activity of two putative HCV fusion peptides

Over the past decades, membranotropic peptides such as positively charged cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) or amphipathic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have received increasing interest in order to improve therapeutic agent cellular uptake.As far as we are concerned, we were interested in studying HCV fusion peptides as putative anchors. Two peptides, HCV6 and HCV7, were identified and conjugated to a fluorescent tag NBD and tested for their interaction with liposomes as model membranes. DSC and spectrofluorescence analyses demonstrate HCV7 propensity to insert or internalize in vesicles containing anionic lipids DMPG whereas no activity was observed with zwitterionic DMPC. This behavior could be explained by the peptide sequence containing a cationic arginine residue. On the contrary, HCV6 did not exhibit any membranotropic activity but was the only sequence able to induce liposomes' fusion or aggregation monitored by spectrofluorescence and DLS. This two peptides mild activity was related to their inefficient structuration in contact with membrane mimetics, which was demonstrated by CD and NMR experiments.Altogether, our data allowed us to identify two promising membrane-active peptides from E1 and E2 HCV viral proteins, one fusogenic (HCV6) and the other membranotropic (HCV7). The latter was also confirmed by fluorescence microscopy with CHO cells, indicating that HCV7 could cross the plasma membrane via an endocytosis process. Therefore, this study provides new evidences supporting the identification of HCV6 as the HCV fusion peptide as well as insights on a novel membranotropic peptide from the HCV-E2 viral protein.     

Variations in carotenoid content and acyl chain composition in exponential,stationary and biofilm states of Staphylococcus aureus,and their influence on membrane biophysical properties

Bacteria are often found in close association with surfaces, resulting in the formation of biofilms. In Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), biofilms are implicated in the resilience of chronic infections, presenting a serious clinical problem world-wide. Here, S. aureus biofilms are grown under flow within clinical catheters at 37 °C. The lipid composition and biophysical properties of lipid extracts from these biofilms are compared with those from exponential growth and stationary phase cells. Biofilms show a reduction in iso and anteiso branching compensated by an increase in saturated fatty acids compared to stationary phase. A drastic reduction in carotenoid levels is also observed during biofilm formation. Thermotropic measurements of Laurdan GP and DPH polarization, show a reduction of lipid packing at 37 °C for biofilms compared to stationary phase. We studied the effects of carotenoid content on DMPG and DPPG model membranes showing trends in thermotropic behavior consistent with those observed in bacterial isolates, indicating that carotenoids participate in modulating lipid packing. Additionally, bending elastic constant (k_c) measurements using vesicle fluctuation analysis (VFA) show that the presence of carotenoids can increase membrane bending rigidity. The antimicrobial peptide Magainin H2 was less activity on liposomes composed of stationary phase compared to biofilms or exponential growth isolates. This study contributes to an understanding of how Staphylococcus aureus modulates the composition of its membrane lipids, and how those changes affect the biophysical properties of membranes, which in turn may play a role in its virulence and its resistance to different membrane-active antimicrobial agents.     

Rational design and characterization of bioplastics from Hermetia illucens prepupae proteins

In this study proteins extracted from prepupae of Hermetia illucens, also known as black soldier fly, are investigated as promising base for a new type of bioplastics for agricultural purposes. Design of experiments techniques are employed to perform a rational study on the effects of different combination of glycerol as plasticizer, citric acid as cross-linking agent and distilled water as solvent on the capability of proteins to form a free-standing film through casting technique, keeping as fixed the quantity of proteins. Glycerol shows interesting properties as plasticizer contributing to the formation of homogenous and free-standing film. Moreover, mechanical and thermal characterizations are performed to estimate the effect of increasing amounts of proteins on the final properties and thickness of the specimens. Proteins derived from H. illucens can be successfully employed as base for bioplastics to be employed for agricultural purposes.     

Atlantic Forest topsoil nutrients can be resistant to disturbance and forest clearing

Human impacts can affect the soil properties through erosion and leaching, the ecosystem functions and, consequently, the capacity of a forest to regenerate. Here, we determine the effects of forest disturbance and succession on selected soil chemical properties using two different approaches, before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) and space‐for‐time (SFT) substitution, and the threatened Atlantic Forest biome as model. We assessed with BACI the long‐term (37‐year) effects of clear cutting on soil properties by comparing data from two topsoil surveys (1978–2017) divided into two treatments: a preserved old growth forest (control) and an adjacent forest that was experimentally cleared with full tree removal (clear‐cut). We examined with SFT the relationship between stand age and soil properties using soil data from three old growth and 13 s growth forests ranging from 7 to 33 years. We found no significant differences between treatments for any soil property or significant changes in phosphorus, potassium, and calcium + magnesium over time. In contrast, pH increased and aluminum decreased in both areas. No relation was found between forest age and most of soil properties, with the exception of potassium which returned to old growth forest levels after 20 years of natural succession, and pH. BACI indicated that deforestation of old growth forest caused no significant effects on soil chemical properties after 37 years of regeneration. SFT demonstrated that soil properties did not change significantly during forest regeneration on formerly disturbed lands. Our findings indicate that natural nutrient‐depleted lowland forests were overall resistant to deforestation followed by passive regeneration at landscape scale. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

Catechol thioethers with physiologically active fragments: Electrochemistry,antioxidant and cryoprotective activities

A number of asymmetrical thioethers based on 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol containing sulfur atom bonding with physiologically active groups in the sixth position of aromatic ring have been synthesized and the electrochemical properties, antioxidant, cryoprotective activities of new thioethers have been evaluated. Cyclic voltammetry was used to estimate the oxidation potentials of thioethers in acetonitrile. The electrooxidation of compounds at the first stage leads to the formation of o-benzoquinones. The antioxidant activities of the compounds were determined using 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay, experiments on the oxidative damage of the DNA, the reaction of 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane hydrochloride) (AAPH) induced glutathione depletion (GSH), the process of lipid peroxidation of rat liver (Wistar) homogenates in vitro, and iron(II) chelation test. Compounds 1–9 have greater antioxidant effectiveness than 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (CatH₂) in all assays. The variation of physiologically active groups at sulfur atom allows to regulate lipophilic properties and antioxidant activity of compounds. Thioethers 3, 4 and 7 demonstrate the combination of radical scavenging, antioxidant activity and iron(II) binding properties. The researched compounds 1–9 were studied as possible cryoprotectants of the media for cryopreservation of the Russian sturgeon sperm. Novel cryoprotective additives in cryomedium reduce significantly the content of membrane-permeating agent (DMSO). A cryoprotective effect of an addition of the catechol thioethers depends on the structure of groups at sulfur atom. The cryoprotective properties of compounds 3, 4 and 7 are caused by combination of catechol fragment, bonded by a thioether linker with a long hydrocarbon chain and a terminal ionizable group or with a biologically relevant acetylcysteine residue.     

Soil and vegetation differences across ecological boundaries in an arid South African ecosystem

Boundaries are the most reactive nodes in landscapes and may be hypersensitive to global change in climate and land use. Investigations on how soils govern vegetation boundaries are scant, particularly in arid and semiarid ecosystems. The Tankwa Karoo National Park (TKNP) is a unique arid biodiversity hotspot with an unrivalled aridity gradient from < 100 mm MAP to about 700 mm in < 10 km. We investigated the abruptness of four soil‐vegetation boundaries separating eight communities. Two 50 m transects were established across four boundaries for 24 descending point transects, in which the cover‐abundance of each plant encounter at 1 m intervals was recorded. In addition, three soil samples were collected from the top 5 cm in each of the four boundaries and twelve patches. Soil and vegetation parameters altogether indicated three boundary syndromes that were context dependent: (a) a sharp boundary, (b) a gradual boundary or (c) no boundary exists. Soil respiration recorded here, and perhaps other ecosystem processes, was mediated by the soil‐vegetation boundaries. These nodes should be the focus of ecological studies since they reveal much more than the constituent patches themselves.