Electroacupuncture for psychogenic erectile dysfunction: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study exploring the alteration of fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation

BackgroundPsychogenic erectile dysfunction (PED) can seriously affect emotional and marital wellbeing. Electroacupuncture (EA) seems an effective method for treating PED. However, the central mechanisms underlying PED and the beneficial effects of EA treatment are unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the central mechanisms of PED and to examine the impact of EA on erectile function.MethodsWe recruited 14 PED patients and 14 matched normal controls (NCs). PED patients underwent twice rs-fMRI scans, respectively, pre- and post-treatment. The NCs only completed one rs-fMRI scan. We used the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) to compare spontaneous neural activity between the PED patients and NCs, and to examine the differences between the pre- and post-EA treatment scans in the PED patients.ResultsScores on the IIEF5, QEQ, and SEAR improved after EA treatment. Compared with the NCs, PED patients showed increased fALFF in the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), right supplementary motor area (SMA), and left middle occipital gyrus. Most of these regions are closely implicated in sexual inhibition. The results of the correlation analysis results indicated that the fALFF of the right PCC was negatively correlated with IIEF5 scores. After treatment, fALFF values were substantially lower in the left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus, right DLPFC, right SMA, bilateral PCC and the orbital part of the middle frontal gyrus, and higher in the left middle temporal gyrus and left caudate nucleus. These regions mainly belong to the default mode network (DMN), executive control network and primary sensory motor network. The results of the correlation analysis indicated a positive association between the changes in IIEF5 score and changes in the fALFF value in the right PCC after EA treatment.ConclusionIn conclusion, our study highlights that PED patients have abnormal patterns of activity in the right PCC, right DLPFC, and right SMA mainly involved in the DMN, executive central network, and sensory motor network which could lead to a higher levels of sexual inhibition. EA might regulate the process of sexual inhibition to improve erection function in PED patients probably by modulating spontaneous brain activity in the DMN, executive central network, and sensory motor network

Data from: Plant reproductive strategies vary under low and high pollinator densities

Long-term variation in the population density of honey bees (Apis mellifera) across landscapes has been shown to correlate with variation in the floral traits of plant populations in these landscapes, suggesting that variations in pollinator population density and foraging rates can drive floral trait evolution of their host plants. However, it remained to be determined whether this variation in plant traits is associated with adaptive variation in plant reproductive strategies under conditions of high and low pollinator densities. Here we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment to examine how this variation in floral traits, under conditions of either high and low pollinator density, impacted seed production in the Tibetan lotus (Saussurea nigrescens). In 2014 and 2015, we recorded the floral traits, pollinator visitation rates, and seed production of S. nigrescens populations grown in both home sites and foreign sites, where sites varied in honey bee population density. Our results demonstrated that the floral traits reflected those of their original population, regardless of their current location. However, seed production varied with both population origin and transplant site. Seed number was positively correlated with flower abundance in the pollinator-rich sites, but with nectar production in the pollinator-poor sites. Pollinator visitation rate was also positively correlated with flower number at pollinator-rich sites, and with nectar volume at pollinator-poor sites. Overall, the local genotype had higher seed production than nonlocal genotypes in home sites. However, when pollen is hand-supplemented, plants from pollinator-rich populations had higher seed production than plants from pollinator-poor populations, regardless of whether they were transplanted to pollinator-rich or -poor sites. These results suggest the plant genotypic differences primarily drive variation in pollinator attraction, and this ultimately drives variation in seed: ovule ratio. Thus, our results suggest that flowering plant species use different reproductive strategies to respond to high or low pollinator densities

Summer grazing change fitness in a Tibetan lotus

It is believed that grazing has an effect on the functioning and performance of flowers, as well as their association with pollinator preferences and plant reproduction. However, the effects of grazing time on nectar secretion and pollen removal are still not fully understood. We hypothesized that seasonal grazing influences pollinator visitation and pollen removal by altering above-ground biomass and nectar secretion. In this study, we conducted field experiments to measure above-ground biomass, flower number per capitulum and capitulum number per plant, nectar volume and concentration, pollinator visitation of male- and female-phase flowers, pollen removal (e.g., number of pollens exported and deposition on a pollinator body and stigma), seed set ratio, and seed number between summer and winter grazing pastures of Saussurea stella. Our findings demonstrated that summer grazing reduced the above-ground biomass, nectar secretion, and pollinator visitation of male-phase flowers, thereby decreasing pollen export. There was a positive correlation between nectar secretion and above-ground biomass, as well as between pollinator visitation and nectar secretion, the number of pollens exported, and pollinator visitation of male-phase flowers. Experiments involving the removal of leaves revealed that a decrease in above-ground biomass was associated with a decrease in nectar secretion, pollinator visitation of male-phase flowers, and pollen removal. However, plants growing in summer and winter grazing pastures had comparable nectar secretion, pollinator visitation of female-phase flowers, seed number, and seed set ratio. Our results suggested that seasonal grazing influences nectar rewards, pollinator preferences, pollen removal, and male fitness. These findings would shed new light on the influence of herbivores on plant-pollinator interactions in the Tibetan meadow

Initial Carbon Quality of Newly Shed Foliar Litter in an Alpine Forest from Proximate Analysis and 13C NMR Spectroscopy Perspectives

The initial carbon (C) quality of plant litter is one of the major factors controlling the litter decomposition rate and regulating C sequestration, but a comprehensive understanding is still lacking. Here, we used proximate analysis and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with spectral editing techniques to quantify the variations in the initial C quality for four dominant species (fir: Abies faxoniana Rehd. et Wils.; spruce: Picea asperata Mast; willow: Salix paraplesia Schneid; and rosa: Rosa omeiensis Rolfe.), including the organic compositions and C-based chemical structures of newly shed foliar litter over eight months in an alpine forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. The results indicated that the fractions of acid-soluble extractives (ASE) and acid-unhydrolyzable residues (AUR) were the main fractions of organic components, and aliphatic C and O-alkyl C were the main functional C groups for all plant species. Under the effects of the plant species, higher levels of ASE (37.62%) and aliphatic C (35.44%) were detected in newly shed rosa foliar litter, while higher levels of AUR (fir: 37.05%; spruce: 41.45%; and willow: 40.04%) and O-alkyl C (fir: 32.03%; spruce: 35.02%; and willow: 32.34%) were detected in newly shed fir, spruce and willow foliar litter. Moreover, the A/O-A and HB/HI ratios in rosa litter were 0.88 and 1.15, respectively, which were higher than those in fir, spruce and willow litter. The C quality of newly shed foliar litter varied seasonally due to the litter quality and environmental conditions, especially nitrogen (N), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), manganese (Mn) and monthly air temperature. We also found that C loss during 4-year litter decomposition was highly related to the aromatic C and phenolic C contents in newly shed foliar litter, suggesting that litter decomposition was strongly controlled by the initial recalcitrant C fractions. We conclude that the C quality of newly shed foliar litter in rosa might be structurally stable and more resistant to degradation than that of fir, spruce and willow, which contain abundant labile C fractions, and the initial recalcitrant C fractions are closely related to C loss during litter decomposition, which might contribute to soil C sequestration in alpine forests

Appendix F. A figure showing bivariate relationships between flower number per capitulum mass and nectar volume per flower of Saussurea nigrescens.

A figure showing bivariate relationships between flower number per capitulum mass and nectar volume per flower of Saussurea nigrescens

Appendix D. A figure showing white anthers as an indicator of maximum flower nectar volume of Saussurea nigrescens.

A figure showing white anthers as an indicator of maximum flower nectar volume of Saussurea nigrescens

Appendix A. A table showing seed production of Saussurea nigrescens depends strongly on animal pollinators.

A table showing seed production of Saussurea nigrescens depends strongly on animal pollinators

Appendix C. A table showing soil physical-chemical properties and bee visitation rate per capitulum of Saussurea nigrescens.

A table showing soil physical-chemical properties and bee visitation rate per capitulum of Saussurea nigrescens