Foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.] grown under nitrogen deficiency exhibits a lower folate contents.

Foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.], as a rich source of folates, has been cultivated on arid infertile lands, for which N deficiency is one of the major issues. Growing environments might have a significant influence on cereal folate levels. However, little is known whether N deficiency modulates cereal folate levels. In order to obtain enriched folate foxtail millet production in nutrient-poor soil, we conducted a study investigating the content of folate derivatives of 29 diverse foxtail millet cultivars under two N regimes (0 and 150 kg N ha-1) for 2 years to explore folate potential grown under low N. The contents of total folate and most derivatives were reduced by N deficiency. The effect on total folate content caused by N was stronger than cultivar genotype did. Folate content of enriched folate cultivars was prone to be reduced by N deficiency. Structural equation models (SEMs) revealed that N fertilization had a positive indirect effect on grain folate content through influencing plant N and K accumulation. Collectively, the results indicate much more attention should be paid to N management when foxtail millet is cultivated in infertile soil, to improve foxtail millet folate contents.

Sorghum rhizosphere effects reduced soil bacterial diversity by recruiting specific bacterial species under low nitrogen stress.

Rhizosphere microbiota play a pivotal role in promoting plant growth and defending against pathogens, but their responses to abiotic environmental stress remain largely elusive. Here, we investigated the influences of low-N stress on rhizosphere bacteria of six sorghum cultivars in a glasshouse experiment. The alpha diversity of bacteria (as revealed by Shannon diversity and Chao1 richness indices) was remarkably lower in rhizosphere soils than in bulk soils, and was significantly higher under low-N stress than under N addition. Principal coordinates analysis revealed that the bacterial community compositions in rhizosphere soils were clearly separated from bulk soils, and the rhizosphere soils under low-N stress or with N fertilization were clearly separated, indicating that both rhizosphere effects and N fertilization impacted the rhizosphere bacterial community. Notably, the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria such as Bacillaceae and Streptomycetaceae significantly increased in rhizosphere soils under low-N stress, which had significantly positive correlations with the sorghum N uptake. The relative abundance of Nitrosomonadaceae in rhizosphere soils was significantly lower than that in bulk soils, while the relative abundance of Rhizobiaceae showed an opposite pattern. Taken together, our results suggested that sorghum rhizosphere effects can reduce soil bacterial diversity possibly through recruiting specific bacterial species under low N stress.

Fertilization alters protistan consumers and parasites in crop-associated microbiomes.

Crop plants carry an enormous diversity of microbiota that provide massive benefits to hosts. Protists, as the main microbial consumers and a pivotal driver of biogeochemical cycling processes, remain largely understudied in the plant microbiome. Here, we characterized the diversity and composition of protists in sorghum leaf phyllosphere, and rhizosphere and bulk soils, collected from an 8-year field experiment with multiple fertilization regimes. Phyllosphere was an important habitat for protists, dominated by Rhizaria, Alveolata and Amoebozoa. Rhizosphere and bulk soils had a significantly higher diversity of protists than the phyllosphere, and the protistan community structure significantly differed among the three plant-soil compartments. Fertilization significantly altered specific functional groups of protistan consumers and parasites. Variation partitioning models revealed that soil properties, bacteria and fungi predicted a significant proportion of the variation in the protistan communities. Changes in protists may in turn significantly alter the compositions of bacterial and fungal communities from the top-down control in food webs. Altogether, we provide novel evidence that fertilization significantly affects the functional groups of protistan consumers and parasites in crop-associated microbiomes, which have implications for the potential changes in their ecological functions under intensive agricultural managements.

[Effect of Fertilization on Soil Respiration and Its Temperature Sensitivity in a Sorghum Field].

The characteristics of soil respiration under the condition of fertilization have not been fully understood,especially for a long-term fertilization condition. In this study we measured both soil respiration using an LI-COR-6400-09 soil chamber attached to LI-COR-6400 portable photosynthesis system, and the vegetation spectrum using an ASD FieldSpec HandHeld2, in five different fertilization treatment fields. The soil respiration (Rs) and vegetation spectrum were simultaneously measured with two samples per month in the growing season in 2016 and 2017. The soil temperature at 10 cm depth (T10) and moisture (Ws) for the surface of 10 cm were also measured simultaneously. The five different fertilization treatments included no fertilization (CK), inorganic fertilizer (INF), inorganic fertilizer+organic fertilizer (INF+M), inorganic fertilizer+organic fertilizer+straw turnover (INF+M+S) and organic fertilizer+straw turnover (M+S), and all treatments had been conducted since 2011. Based on those observation data, we made an analysis of Rs and its temperature sensitivity (Q10) in the five different fertilization treatments. The results showed that no significant temporal change in Rs among the five treatments was found. No significant difference was found in Rs between the CK and INF treatments. Compared with the values of Rs in CK and INF, the Rs values in INF+M, M+S, and INF+M+S treatments increased by 28.2%-39.1%, 47.9%-76.0%, and 46.2%-50.8%, respectively. This indicated that use of organic fertilization and straw application increased Rs. Both the Ts and Ws showed 14%-96% and 6%-37% in Rs seasonal variations, respectively. Among the treatments, the correlation coefficient of the fitted equations between Rsand Ts was higher in the INF+M, INF+M+S and M+S treatment than in CK and INF, but was not between Rsand Ws. For the relationship between Rs and vegetation indexes we found that the correlation coefficients between Rs and the difference vegetation index (DVI), ratio vegetation index (RVI), and enhanced vegetation index (EVI), respectively, were higher than that of Rs and the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI); and that the correlation coefficients between Rsand the red edge slope (Dred) and red edge area (Sred) were higher than between Rs and the red edge position (λred). This indicated that the treatments in INF+M+S increased the correlation coefficient between Rs and the spectrum characteristics index. The determination coefficient of the fitted equations including the feature spectral parameters, T10, and Wsvariables was higher than that of the equations only including both T10 and Ws variables, or a single variable of T10 or Ws. Compared with CK, the Q10 value increased by 26%, 39%, 21%, and 37% for the INF, INF+M, INF+M+S, and M+S treatments, respectively. This indicated that temperature sensitivity Q10 increased under the condition of fertilization treatments. The Shannon diversity index, bulk density, and soil organic matter were the main factors causing the difference in Rs, Q10, and R10, i.e., Rs at a temperature of 10℃, in the different treatments, which could explain the 97.6%, 78.2%, and 92.8% variations in Rs, Q10, and R10, respectively.

Application of Phragmites australis to remove phenol from aqueous solutions by chemical activation in batch and fixed-bed columns.

The ability of the agricultural residue of Phragmites australis to serve as an absorbent material used to remove phenol from aqueous solutions in batch and continuous fixed-bed columns was investigated. Prepared adsorbents were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and pHpzc methods. The equilibrium adsorption (qe) of phenol was increased from 9.61 to 29.40 mg/g when the initial phenol concentrations increased from 50 to 150 mg/L. The max adsorption capacity of Phragmites australis was found to be 29.60 mg/g at 30 °C. In column studies, a higher flow rate, higher initial concentration of phenol, and shorter packing layer height increase the column adsorption capacity of phenol. In a batch and continuous fixed-bed column studies, the experiment data was evaluated by some classic models. Fitting degree between the experimental results shows that the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetics and Langmuir model were the best. Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models were in good agreement with the experimental breakthrough curve data. Both batch and continuous investigation indicated that Phragmites australis could be used as a fine adsorbent to remove phenol and that the adsorption efficiency improved significantly in the column experiment.

Delayed ischaemic preconditioning in the presence of galectin-9 protects against renal ischaemic injury through a regulatory T-cell dependent mechanism.

AIM: Renal ischaemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a complication of major surgeries. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can suppress immunologic damage in the renal IR. Previous studies indicated that delayed ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) partially attenuates IR by inducing Treg expansion. Galectin-9 also attenuates inflammation-related organ injury by expanding Tregs, but it was not used in renal IR yet. Our aim was to test whether IPC combined with galectin-9 has an increased renoprotective effect. METHODS: Mice were divided into five treatment groups (n = 6 per group): (i) IR group: renal ischaemia/reperfusion group; (ii) IPC-IR group: IPC followed by renal IR; (iii) IPC-Gal9-IR group: Gal-9 injections during the time between IPC and IR; (iv) IPC-Gal9-PC61-IR group: anti-CD25 antibody administration apart from IPC, Gal-9 and IR; (v) sham-sham group. We assessed the renal function, histopathological scores, and percentages of Tregs and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) cells in peripheral bood, spleen, and kidney and compared these values among the different groups. RESULTS: Serum creatinine measured was significantly lower after IPC and even lower in combination with Gal-9 injection. The histopathological scores for tubulo-interstitial injury were decreased following IPC and markedly lower after the addition of Gal-9. The number of kidney infiltrating neutrophils and IFN-γ secreting CD4+ T cells was diminished in the IPC/Gal9 combination group, while the percentage of Treg cells in the peripheral blood, spleen, and kidney of animals from the IPC-Gal9-IR group was also markedly increased. CONCLUSION: The renoprotective effect of delayed IPC combined with galectin-9 was superior to IPC alone, through a mechanism related to expansion of regulatory T cells.

[Effects of different crop rotations on growth of continuous cropping sorghum and its rhizosphere soil micro-environment.] / ä¸åŒä½œç‰©è½®ä½œå¯¹è¿žä½œé«˜ç²±ç”Ÿé•¿åŠå ¶æ ¹é™ åœŸå£¤çŽ¯å¢ƒçš„å½±å“.

The effects of crop rotation on sorghum [Sorghum biocolor (L) Moench] growth, rhizosphere microbial community and the activity of soil enzymes for successive crops of sorghum were evaluated. Five years of continuous monoculture sorghum as the control (CK) was compared to alfalfa and scallion planted in the fourth year. The results showed that incorporation of alfalfa and scallion into the rotation significantly improved sorghum shoot growth. Specifically, sorghum grain yield increased by 16.5% in the alfalfa rotation plots compared to the CK. The rotations also increased sorghum root system growth, with alfalfa or scallion rotation increasing sorghum total root length by 0.3 and 0.4 times, total root surface area by 0.6 and 0.5 times, root volume by 1.2 and 0.6 times, and root biomass by 1.0 and 0.3 times, respectively. Alfalfa rotation also expanded sorghum root distribution below the 10 cm soil depth. A Biolog analysis on biome functions in the sorghum flowering period indicated significantly higher microbial activity in the rotation plots. The alfalfa and scallion rotation increased the Shannon index by 0.2 and 0.1 times compared to the CK, and improved the sucrose activity in the rhizosphere soil. It was concluded that including alfalfa in rotation with sorghum improved sorghum rhizosphere soil environment, enhanced soil microbial enzyme activity, alleviated the obstacle of continuous cropping and thus increased the sorghum yield.

Elevated serum levels of visfatin in patients with henoch-schönlein purpura.

BACKGROUND: Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is an immune complex-mediated disease predominantly characterized by the deposition of circulating immune complexes containing immunoglobulin A (IgA) on the walls of small vessels. Although the pathogenesis of HSP is not yet fully understood, some researchers proposed that B-cell activation might play a critical role in the development of this disease. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the serum levels of visfatin (pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor), B-cell-activating factor (BAFF), and CXCL13, and to analyze their association with disease severity. METHODS: The serum levels of visfatin, BAFF, and CXCL13 were measured by using a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 43 patients with HSP and 45 controls. The serum levels of IgA anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) were detected by using a double-antigen sandwich ELISA. RESULTS: Levels of visfatin but not BAFF and CXCL13 were significantly elevated in the sera of patients with HSP in the acute stage, and restored to normal levels in the convalescent stage. Furthermore, serum levels of visfatin were significantly higher in patients with HSP having renal involvement than in those without renal involvement. Serum levels of visfatin were correlated with the severity of HSP and serum concentration of ACA-IgA. CONCLUSION: We show for the first time that the serum levels of visfatin are abnormally elevated in patients with HSP. Visfatin may be associated with the pathogenesis of HSP.

Elevated serum interleukin-33 levels in patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common systemic vasculitis and is known as an immunoglobulin (Ig) A related immune complex-mediated disease. However, the molecular mechanisms in the development of HSP are not yet fully understood. Herein, we investigated the serum levels of Interleukin (IL)-33 and soluble ST2 (sST2) in HSP patients and their association with disease severity and IgA autoantibodies production. The serum levels of IL-33 and sST2 were measured by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the serum of 33 patients with HSP and 22 controls. Serum levels of IgA anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA) and IgA anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) in HSP patients were detected by double antigen sandwich ELISA. Our results indicated that serum levels of IL-33 but not sST2 were significantly elevated in patients with HSP in acute stage and restored to normal levels in convalescent stage. Moreover, serum IL-33 levels were correlated with the severity of HSP and serum concentrations of AECA-IgA and ACA-IgA. Taken together, we show firstly that serum IL-33 is abnormally elevated in HSP patients. IL-33 might be associated with the IgA autoantibodies production in the pathogenesis of HSP.

A binuclear zinc polymer with paddlewheel building units and intersecting helical chains based on a flexible 4-[(carboxymethyl)sulfanyl]benzoic acid ligand.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, poly[{µ(4)-4-[(carboxylatomethyl)sulfanyl]benzoato}(N,N-dimethylformamide)zinc], [Zn(C(9)H(6)O(4)S)(C(3)H(7)NO)](n), consists of one crystallographically independent Zn(II) cation, one 4-[(carboxylatomethyl)sulfanyl]benzoate (L(2-)) ligand and one coordinated dimethylformamide (DMF) molecule. The zinc ion is coordinated by five O atoms from four separate L(2-) ligands and one DMF molecule, and the ZnO(5) unit displays a distorted square-based-pyramidal geometry. Two ZnO(5) units form a binuclear zinc-tetracarboxylate paddlewheel cluster, and these are bridged by L(2-) ligands to generate an intersecting helical chain (Zn(2+) ions as nodes), which is composed of right-handed (P) and left-handed (M) helices. Weak C-H···O hydrogen bonds extend the one-dimensional coordinated chain into a weakly bound three-dimensional supramolecular architecture.

Protective effects of peoniflorin against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Peoniflorin (PF), extracted from the root of Paeonia lactiflora Pall., has been reported to have anti-inflammation and antioxidant effects in several animal models. Herein, we investigated the protective effects of PF against hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced oxidative damage in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were treated by H(2)O(2) (240 µmol/L) with or without PF. PF significantly increased the percent cell viability of HUVECs injured by H(2)O(2) using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. By flow cytometric analysis, PF markedly attenuated H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species production. In addition, PF also displayed a dose-dependent reduction of lactate dehydrogenase leakage, malondialdehyde formation, and caspase-3 proteolytic activities in H(2)O(2)-treated cells, which was accompanied with a restoration of the activities of endogenous antioxidants, including total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Finally, Western blot data revealed that H(2)O(2) upregulated phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in HUVECs, which was almost completely reversed by PF. Taken together, our data provide the first evidence that PF has a protective ability against oxidative damage in HUVECs. PF may be a candidate medicine for the treatment of vascular diseases associated with oxidative stress.

CCL5, CXCL16, and CX3CL1 are associated with Henoch-Schonlein purpura.

Chemokines are involved in the pathogenesis of various vascular inflammations. However, information about chemokines in Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is limited. Herein, we investigated the serum CCL5, CXCL16, and CX3CL1 levels in HSP patients with controls and the ability of sera from HSP patients on chemokine production in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detected serum CCL5, CXCL16, and CX3CL1 levels in patients with HSP. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC-1) was treated with sera from patients with HSP at different stages, patients with acute spontaneous urticaria, or controls. Serum levels of CCL5, CXCL16, and CX3CL1 were elevated in HSP patients at acute stage, which correlated with the severity of this disease. Sera from patients with active HSP markedly induced CCL5, CXCL16, and CX3CL1 production at both mRNA and protein levels. In addition, patients' sera-stimulated HMEC-1 supernatants enhanced HL-60 or THP-1 cells migration. Furthermore, patients' sera increased the phosphorylation of inhibitor of κB-α (IκBα) and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 protein levels, upregulated the translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 to the nucleus. Taken together, we show firstly that CCL5, CXCL16, and CX3CL1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of HSP. Factors present in sera from patients with active HSP may act as an inducer of inflammatory response in HMEC-1 cells and contribute to chemokine production through NF-κB and ERK 1/2 pathways.

Peoniflorin suppresses tumor necrosis factor-α induced chemokine production in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells by blocking nuclear factor-κB and ERK pathway.

Peoniflorin (PF) extracted from the root of Paeonia lactiflora pall displays anti-inflammation and antioxidant properties in several animal models. Chemokines are vital for directing the movement of circulating leukocytes to the sites of inflammation and are involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory skin diseases. Herein, we investigated the effects and potential mechanisms of PF on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induced chemokine production in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC-1) was treated by TNF-α with or without PF. PF markedly attenuated TNF-α-induced chemokines (including CCL2, CCL5, CCL20, CXCL8, CXCL16 and CX3CL1) mRNA expression in HMEC-1. PF also reduced the secretion of these chemokines in culture supernatants. In addition, endothelial activation in the presence of PF markedly blocked the chemotactic activities of TNF-α-stimulated HMEC-1 supernatant on promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60) or the acute mature monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) cell migration. Furthermore, Western blot data revealed TNF-α upregulated phosphorylation of inhibitor of κB-α (IκBα) and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, which was almost completely reversed by PF. Finally, PF inhibited nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) nuclear translocation to the nucleus. Taken together, our data provide the first evidence that PF has an anti-inflammatory ability against TNF-α-induced chemokine production and leukocyte migration, which may be at least partly related to the inhibition of NF-κB and ERK pathway. PF may be a candidate medicine for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.

[Effects of boron on indole-3-acetic acid transportation in intact phaseolus aureus plant].

With intact Phaseolus aureus plant as test material, this paper studied the effects of boron deficiency on its axillary bud growth and polar auxin transportation. The results showed that boron deficiency induced axillary bud growth significantly, while applying indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) could suppress the axillary bud growth induced by the decapitation of boron sufficient plant. When the plant deficient in boron was decapitated, applying IAA could delay the axillary bud growth. Compared with boron sufficient plant, the plant deficient in boron had an inhibited auxin basipetal movement in terms of the shorter distance of 3H-IAA peak from apex, and less total radioactivity detected in stem. No radioactivity was found in the axillary buds in any of the treatments, suggesting that the basipetal IAA transportation in stem rather than the IAA accumulation in bud was required for the inhibition of bud growth. A 24 h boron supply to the boron deficient plant could restore its 3H-IAA transportation.