Organic Carbon Linkage with Soil Colloidal Phosphorus at Regional and Field Scales: Insights from Size Fractionation of Fine Particles

Nano and colloidal particles (1–1000 nm) play important roles in phosphorus (P) migration and loss from agricultural soils; however, little is known about their relative distribution in arable crop soils under varying agricultural geolandscapes at the regional scale. Surface soils (0–20 cm depth) were collected from 15 agricultural fields, including two sites with different carbon input strategies, in Zhejiang Province, China, and water-dispersible nanocolloids (0.6–25 nm), fine colloids (25–160 nm), and medium colloids (160–500 nm) were separated and analyzed using the asymmetrical flow field flow fractionation technique. Three levels of fine-colloidal P content (3583–6142, 859–2612, and 514–653 μg kg–1) were identified at the regional scale. The nanocolloidal fraction correlated with organic carbon (Corg) and calcium (Ca), and the fine colloidal fraction with Corg, silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), and iron (Fe). Significant linear relationships existed between colloidal P and Corg, Si, Al, Fe, and Ca and for nanocolloidal P with Ca. The organic carbon controlled colloidal P saturation, which in turn affected the P carrier ability of colloids. Field-scale organic carbon inputs did not change the overall morphological trends in size fractions of water-dispersible colloids. However, they significantly affected the peak concentration in each of the nano-, fine-, and medium-colloidal P fractions. Application of chemical fertilizer with carbon-based solid manure and/or modified biochar reduced the soil nano-, fine-, and medium-colloidal P content by 30–40%; however,the application of chemical fertilizer with biogas slurry boosted colloidal P formation. This study provides a deep and novel understanding of the forms and composition of colloidal P in agricultural soils and highlights their spatial regulation by soil characteristics and carbon inputs

Epileptiform response of CA1 neurones to convulsant stimulation by cyclothiazide, kainic acid and pentylenetetrazol in anaesthetized rats

AbstractWe have previously reported that cyclothiazide (CTZ) evokes epileptiform activities in hippocampal neurons and induces seizure behavior. Here we further studied in vivo the sensitivity of the hippocampal CA1 neurons in response to CTZ in epileptogenesis in comparison with two other classic convulsants of kainic acid (KA) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ).CTZ administered intracerebral ventricle (i.c.v.) induced epileptiform activities from an initial of multiple evoked population spikes, progressed to spontaneous spikes and finally to highly synchronized burst activities in hippocampal CA1 neurons. PTZ, when given by subcutaneously, but not by intracerebral ventricle injection, evoked similar progressive epileptiform activities. In contrast, KA given by i.c.v. induced a quick development of epileptiform burst activities and then shortly switched to continuous high frequency firing as acute status epilepticus (ASE). Pharmacologically, alprazolam, a high-potency benzodiazepine ligand, inhibited CTZ and PTZ, but not KA, induced epileptiform burst activities while GYKI 53784, an AMPA receptor antagonist, suppressed CTZ and KA but not PTZ evoked epileptiform activities.In conclusion, CTZ and PTZ induced epileptiform activities are most likely to share a similar progressive pattern in hippocampus with GABAergic mechanism dominant in epileptogenesis, while CTZ model involves additional glutamate receptor activation. KA induced seizure in hippocampus is different to that of both CTA and PTZ. The results from this study indicate that hippocampal neurons respond to various convulsant stimulation differently which may reflect the complicated causes of the seizure in clinics

Investigating the effect of Icaritin on hepatocellular carcinoma based on network pharmacology

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the cancers that kill people in the global population. Icaritin, a small molecule drug approved by NMPA, has demonstrated potential anti-HCC effects. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We employed a multi-omics approach in this study, including pharmaco-omics and proteomics, to look into the Icaritin’s possible molecular targets and workings in the therapy of HCC. Through pharmaco-omics analysis, we identified ten putative target genes of Icaritin, including FYN. The relationship between Icaritin and these target genes, particularly FYN, was further validated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The outcomes revealed that Icaritin may exert its anti-HCC effects through modulating the FYN gene, highlighting the importance of multi-omics approaches in drug discovery research. This research gives valuable insights regarding the therapeutic potential of Icaritin against HCC and its possible molecular mechanisms

Hypoglycemic Effects of Crude Polysaccharide from Purslane

The effects of crude polysaccharide from Purslane (CPP) on body weight (bw), blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), triglyceride (TG) and serum insulin levels were studied in diabetes mellitus mice. CPP treatment (200, 400 mg/kg bw) for 28 days resulted in a significant decrease in the concentrations of fasting blood glucose (FBG), TC and TG. Furthermore, CPP significantly increased the concentration of HDL-c, body weight and serum insulin level in the mice. In addition, according to acute toxicity studies and single cell gel electrophoresis analysis, CPP did not produce any physical or behavioral signs of toxicity. More significantly, our data demonstrated CPP exhibited the best effects at the dose of 400 mg/kg bw. The above results suggest that CPP can control blood glucose and modulate the metabolism of glucose and blood lipids in diabetes mellitus mice, so we conclude that CPP should be evaluated as a candidate for future studies on diabetes mellitus

Radiological Imaging for Assessing the Respectability of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most difficult tumors to stage and treat. The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic efficiency of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) in evaluating the resectability of HCC. A systematic search was performed of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy were calculated for individual studies and pooled data as well as test for heterogeneity and public bias. Our data showed that CT had the highest pooled sensitivity at 95% (95% CI: 91-97), whereas PET/CT had the highest pooled specificity at 81% (95% CI: 69-90). The area under the curve (AUC) of CT, MRI, and PET/CT was 0.9269, 0.9194, and 0.9218, respectively. In conclusion, CT is the most frequently used imaging modality to assess HCC resectability with a good sensitivity and specificity. MRI was generally comparable with that of CT and can be used as an alternative imaging technique. PET/CT appears to be the best technique in detecting lymph node and distant metastasis in HCC but has no clear role in helping to evaluate issues of local resectability

Is the incipient Chinese civil society playing a role in regenerating historic urban areas? Evidence from Nanjing, Suzhou and Shanghai

Urban regeneration in Western countries can count on a long-lasting tradition of experiences in which civil society has played a fundamental role in counterbalancing the system of power, resulting in profound urban governance readjustments. This has been the result of the increasing centrality of horizontal alliances between citizens and associations involved in urban affairs since the late 1960s in the West. Similar theoretical frameworks have been applied in China. However, these have frequently resulted in conceptual shortcuts that depict civil society as immature or lacking and the state as authoritarian. This paper will explore whether these categories are still entirely valid to urban regeneration in China. While the regime has traditionally prevented horizontal linkages of associations in urban governance (supporting their vertical integration to ensure a certain degree of soft control), there are signs of change. In particular, three cases of urban regeneration in historic areas will be used to discuss the changing role played by civil society in China. The ultimate goal is to examine whether horizontal linkages across groups of heterogeneous citizens are arising at the micro-level of urban governance

Effects of crude flavonoids from tatary buckwheat on alloxan-induced oxidative stress in mice

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of crude flavonoids from tatary buckwheat (FTB) on alloxan-induced oxidative stress in mice. After induction of diabetes, diabetic mice were randomly divided into four groups: one diabetic control group and three different doses of FTB (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) treated groups, with non-diabetic mice used as the normal control group. The mice were intragastrically administered once daily for 28 days. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum insulin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. The results showed that FTB could significantly reduce FBG levels and MDA contents, and increase serum insulin levels, SOD, GPx and CAT activities. These data suggested that FTB possess hypoglycemic effects and could reduce alloxan-induced oxidative stress in mice. Therefore, FTB might be of use as an antidiabetic drug

Puerarin attenuates locomotor and cognitive deficits as well as hippocampal neuronal injury through the PI3K/Akt1/GSK-3 beta signaling pathway in an in vivo model of cerebral ischemia

Ischemic stroke causes irreversible damage to the brain. The hippocampus is a vulnerable region and plays an important role in cognition and locomotor activity. Puerarin is a phytoestrogen that has beneficial effects in treating neurological disorders. How puerarin protects against hippocampal injury and its molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Transient global brain ischemia was induced by 4-vessel occlusion in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were pretreated with puerarin alone or together with LY294002 (an PI3K inhibitor) before ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R). The open-and closed-field tasks and Morris water maze (MWM) test were used to assess the effects of puerarin on anxiety-like behavioral and cognitive impairment following I/R. Hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE) was used to examine the survival of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, and immunoblotting was performed to examine the expression of the related proteins. By using the rat model for transient I/R, we demonstrated that puerarin pretreatment significantly increased the travelling distance and number of crossings in the open-and closedfield tests, reduced latency and increased the proportion of distance and time in zone IV in the MWM. The number of live cells in the hippocampus is sharply increased by puerarin pretreatment. We further observed that the levels of phosphorylated Akt1, GSK-3 beta and MCL-1were elevated and those of cleaved-caspase-3 were reduced in the puerarin-treatment group. Notably, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 counteracted all of the effects of puerarin. Our findings suggest that puerarin protects the hippocampus from I/R damage by activating the PI3K/Akt1/GSK-3 beta/MCL-1 signaling pathway.National Natural Science Foundation of China [81271296]This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]