ABSTRACT
The potential adverse effects of progestins on aquatic organisms, especially non-target species, are of increasing concern worldwide. However, the effect and mechanism of progestin toxicity on aquatic invertebrates remain largely unexplored. In the present study, clams Mactra veneriformis were exposed to norgestrel (NGT, 0, 10, and 1000 ng/L), the dominant progestin detected in the aquatic environment, for 21 days. NGT accumulation, histology, transcriptome, and metabolome were assessed in the digestive gland. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) was 386 and 268 in the 10 ng/L NGT group and 1000 ng/L NGT group, respectively, indicating efficient accumulation of NGT in the clams. Histological analysis showed that NGT led to the swelling of epithelial cells and blurring of the basement membrane in the digestive gland. Differentially-expressed genes and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis using a transcriptomic approach suggested that NGT primarily disturbed the detoxification system, antioxidant defense, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and steroid hormone metabolism, which was consistent with the metabolites analyzed using a metabolomic approach. Furthermore, we speculated that the oxidative stress caused by NGT resulted in histological damage to the digestive gland. This study showed that NGT caused adverse effects in the clams and sheds light on the mechanisms of progestin interference in aquatic invertebrates.
Subject(s)
Bivalvia , Norgestrel , Animals , Norgestrel/metabolism , Norgestrel/pharmacology , Progestins , Transcriptome , Antioxidants/metabolism , Bivalvia/metabolism , MetabolomicsABSTRACT
Wireless sensors are limited by node costs, communication efficiency, and energy consumption when wireless sensors are deployed on a large scale. The use of submodular optimization can reduce the deployment cost. This paper proposes a sensor deployment method based on the Improved Heuristic Ant Colony Algorithm-Chaos Optimization of Padded Sensor Placements at Informative and cost-Effective Locations (IHACA-COpSPIEL) algorithm and a routing protocol based on an improved Biogeography-Based Optimization (BBO) algorithm. First, a mathematical model with submodularity is established. Second, the IHACA is combined with pSPIEL-based on chaos optimization to determine the shortest path. Finally, the selected sensors are used in the biogeography of the improved BBO routing protocols to transmit data. The experimental results show that the IHACA-COpSPIEL algorithm can go beyond the local optimal solutions, and the communication cost of IHACA-COpSPIEL is 38.42%, 24.19% and 8.31%, respectively, lower than that of the greedy algorithm, the pSPIEL algorithm and the IHACA algorithm. It uses fewer sensors and has a longer life cycle. Compared with the LEACH protocol, the routing protocol based on the improved BBO extends the life cycle by 30.74% and has lower energy consumption.
ABSTRACT
The major aim of this study is to elucidate the hypocholesterolemic mechanism exerted by rice protein (RP) in adult rats under cholesterol-enriched dietary condition. Compared with casein, the cholesterol levels in plasma and the liver were significantly reduced by RP, accompanying significant inhibition of cholesterol absorption. RP increased the activity and mRNA level of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, whereas acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase activity and gene expression were significantly depressed with consumption of RP. Neither the activity nor gene expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase of RP differed from that of casein. The gene expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and liver X receptor α were significantly activated by consumption of RP. RP did not modify the mRNA level of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 with respect to casein. These results suggest RP can induce a cholesterol-lowering effect through modifying cholesterol metabolism-related gene expression and enzyme activity in adult rats.