15 research outputs found

    Hijacking common mycorrhizal networks for herbivore-induced defence signal transfer between tomato plants

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    Common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) link multiple plants together. We hypothesized that CMNs can serve as an underground conduit for transferring herbivore-induced defence signals. We established CMN between two tomato plants in pots with mycorrhizal fungus Funneliformis mosseae, challenged a ‘donor' plant with caterpillar Spodoptera litura, and investigated defence responses and insect resistance in neighbouring CMN-connected ‘receiver' plants. After CMN establishment caterpillar infestation on ‘donor' plant led to increased insect resistance and activities of putative defensive enzymes, induction of defence-related genes and activation of jasmonate (JA) pathway in the ‘receiver' plant. However, use of a JA biosynthesis defective mutant spr2 as ‘donor' plants resulted in no induction of defence responses and no change in insect resistance in ‘receiver' plants, suggesting that JA signalling is required for CMN-mediated interplant communication. These results indicate that plants are able to hijack CMNs for herbivore-induced defence signal transfer and interplant defence communication

    The Occurrence, Pathways, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Raw Milk from Industrial Areas in China

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    This study evaluated chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) contamination in raw milk from industrial areas in China, identified the possible pathways of heavy metals from the environment to raw milk, and made a risk assessment of the consumption of heavy metals from milk consumption. The Cr, As, Cd, and Pb concentrations in raw milk, water and silage were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The Cr and As in soil were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry, respectively. Cd and Pb in soil were determined by a Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The Cr and As concentrations in milk from industrial areas were 2.41 ± 2.12 and 0.44 ± 0.31 μg/kg, respectively, which were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those from non-industrial areas, which had levels of 1.10 ± 0.15 and 0.25 ± 0.09 μg/kg, respectively. Chromium was mainly transferred through the soil-silage-milk pathway, As was transferred through the water-silage-milk pathway, while Cd was mainly transferred through the soil (water)-silage-milk pathway. The contributions of each metal to the overall hazard index (HI) followed a descending order of As, Cr, Pb, and Cd, with values of 46.64%, 25.54%, 24.30%, and 3.52%, respectively. Children were at higher risk than adults

    Effects of Heavy Metal Exposure from Leather Processing Plants on Serum Oxidative Stress and the Milk Fatty Acid Composition of Dairy Cows: A Preliminary Study

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    This study investigated whether unsaturated fatty acids in milk and the oxidative status of cows are affected by heavy metal exposure due to leather processing. The blood lead (Pb) concentrations in cows from two farms in the polluted area were 16.27 ± 8.63 μg/L, respectively, which were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the blood Pb concentrations in cows from an unpolluted farm (6.25 ± 3.04 μg/L). There were significantly (p < 0.05) lower levels of glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione (GSH) in the serum of cows from the polluted area compared to the levels in cows from an unpolluted area. The linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) content in milk from the polluted area was 15% lower than in the control area. There was a significant correlation between linoleic acid in milk with the blood Pb and serum GSH levels. Heavy metals can alter fatty acid synthesis through oxidative stress, which may be the mechanism by which heavy metals affect fatty acid synthesis in milk

    A Survey of Naturally-Occurring Steroid Hormones in Raw Milk and the Associated Health Risks in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China

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    In recent years, high levels of hormone residue in food, capable of damaging the health of consumers, have been recorded frequently. In this study, 195 raw milk samples were obtained from Tangshan City, China, and the concentrations of 22 steroid hormones were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Cortisol was detected in 12.5% of raw milk samples (mean 0.61 µg/kg; range: <limit of quantification (LOQ)–0.94 µg/kg). Progesterone was detected in 85.9% of raw milk samples (mean 5.12 µg/kg; range: <LOQ–9.04 µg/kg). The concentration of cortisol present in milk was lower than the maximum residue limit defined in Japan (10 µg/kg). Children aged between one and five years were expected to be the at-risk population when exposed to detectable steroid hormone concentrations. Based on the mean and maximum concentrations of progesterone detected in milk, the contribution was 0.85% and 0.9%, and 1.48% and 1.6% of the acceptable daily intake for boys and girls, respectively. These results imply that the concentrations of steroid hormones present in raw milk should not present a health risk for young children

    Large scale study of the within and between spatial variability of lead, arsenic, and cadmium contamination of cow milk in China

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    This large scale study investigated the spatial variability of Pb, As, and Cd contents in raw milk within and between the 10 main milk producing areas in China. A total of 997 raw milk samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Mean values of Pb, As, and Cd inmilkwere 1.75 μg/L, 0.31 μg/L, and 0.05 μg/L, respectively. The highest level of Pb and Aswas present in area C, and Cdwas highest in area J. The standard deviation suggested a higher heterogeneity of milk heavy metal contamination within area than between areas. Levels of Pb, As, and Cd showed significant differences between studied areas. The estimated root mean squared standardised error obtained by the cross-validation suggested a differentiated quality of Pb, As, and Cd modelling between areas: the predictions obtainedwere sometimes overestimated or underestimated. These results can be used to define a more appropriate sampling procedure for heavy metal contaminate distribution in rawmilk for improved future control ofmilk contamination by heavymetals in the studied areas. The significant positive correlations between concentrations of Pb-Cd, As-Cd, and Pb-As were observed in nine, six and five areas, respectively. No significant negative correlations were observed. The observed variability of correlation values suggested a different pollution source for Pb, As, and Cd in milk between areas. Further studies are required to clarify the relationships between the contamination of raw milk by heavy metals and the herd environment

    Field observations of surface ruptures accompanying a tsunami and supershear earthquake along a plate boundary strike-slip fault

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    Strike-slip earthquakes near major subduction zones have received less attention than thrust or reverse earthquakes in subduction zone areas. The occurrence of the 2018 Palu Mw 7.5 earthquake in eastern Indonesia provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the characteristics of one of these events. The Palu earthquake occurred on the left-lateral, north-south-striking Palu-Koro fault, which is the main plate boundary structure accommodating the convergence between blocks in a triple junction area. It excited a significant tsunami, which unusually is associated with strike-slip earthquakes, and also ruptured at a supershear speed, which is mostly observed on strike-slip faults in continents. Based on our fieldwork, we speculate that the normal slip component of the offshore rupture section in Palu bay on the middle segment probably favours tsunami genesis. Our field investigation has revealed evidence of a simple geometry as well as slip partitioning of dip-slip and strike-slip motion on two subparallel strands on the main segment, both of which may have contributed to the supershear of the rupture propagation. Instead of only a transtensive behaviour of the middle segment, our results also illustrate the transpressional property of the northern and southern rupture segments, which shows more complex behaviour than that of a common continental strike-slip fault.This study was funded by the National Nonprofit Fundamental Research Grant of China, IGCEA (IGCEA1901), the National Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC1500101) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42072250)

    Content and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Toxic Elements in Infant Formulas from the Chinese Market

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    In this study, the content of chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in domestic and imported infant formulas from Beijing, China were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The content of Cr, As, Cd and Pb was 2.51–83.80, 0.89–7.87, 0.13–3.58 and 0.36–5.57 μg/kg, respectively. Even though there were no significant differences in toxic elements content between domestic and imported infant formulas, Cd content was slightly lower in domestic samples. The estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were calculated for infants between 0.5 and 5 y of age. The EDIs were lower than the oral reference doses. THQ of As, Cr, Cd and Pb was 0.027–0.103, 0.024–0.093, 0.0025–0.0090 and 0.0015–0.0046, respectively. HI values were 0.055–0.192 for boys and 0.056–0.209 for girls and were inversely associated with age with a threshold < 1. The non-carcinogenic risk value were in the safe range, indicating that exposure of As, Pb, Cr and Cd from infant formulas do not represent a health risk in China
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