Alleviating salinity stress in canola (Brassica napus L.) through exogenous application of salicylic acid.

Canola, a vital oilseed crop, is grown globally for food and biodiesel. With the enormous demand for growing various crops, the utilization of agriculturally marginal lands is emerging as an attractive alternative, including brackish-saline transitional lands. Salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting growth and productivity of most crops, and causing food insecurity. Salicylic acid (SA), a small-molecule phenolic compound, is an essential plant defense phytohormone that promotes immunity against pathogens. Recently, several studies have reported that SA was able to improve plant resilience to withstand high salinity. For this purpose, a pot experiment was carried out to ameliorate the negative effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) on canola plants through foliar application of SA. Two canola varieties Faisal (V1) and Super (V2) were assessed for their growth performance during exposure to high salinity i.e. 0 mM NaCl (control) and 200 mM NaCl. Three levels of SA (0, 10, and 20 mM) were applied through foliar spray. The experimental design used for this study was completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. The salt stress reduced the shoot and root fresh weights up to 50.3% and 47% respectively. In addition, foliar chlorophyll a and b contents decreased up to 61-65%. Meanwhile, SA treatment diminished the negative effects of salinity and enhanced the shoot fresh weight (49.5%), root dry weight (70%), chl. a (36%) and chl. b (67%). Plants treated with SA showed an increased levels of both enzymatic i.e. (superoxide dismutase (27%), peroxidase (16%) and catalase (34%)) and non-enzymatic antioxidants i.e. total soluble protein (20%), total soluble sugar (17%), total phenolic (22%) flavonoids (19%), anthocyanin (23%), and endogenous ascorbic acid (23%). Application of SA also increased the levels of osmolytes i.e. glycine betaine (31%) and total free proline (24%). Salinity increased the concentration of Na+ ions and concomitantly decreased the K+ and Ca2+ absorption in canola plants. Overall, the foliar treatments of SA were quite effective in reducing the negative effects of salinity. By comparing both varieties of canola, it was observed that variety V2 (Super) grew better than variety V1 (Faisal). Interestingly, 20 mM foliar application of SA proved to be effective in ameliorating the negative effects of high salinity in canola plants.

Effectiveness of feeding different biochars on growth, digestibility, body composition, hematology and mineral status of the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.

Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings (5.15 ± 0.02 g; n = 315) were fed with different types of biochar (BC)-supplemented sunflower meal-based (SFM) diet to investigate the effects of various BC inclusions on their nutritional digestibility, body composition, hematology and mineral status for 60 days. Seven different diets were formulated based on the SFM based diet: one was a control (TD-I, CON) and the other six diets were supplemented with 2% BC derived from different sources. These BCs were derived from the following: cotton stick (CSBC, TD-II), wheat straw (WSBC, TD-III), corn cob (CCBC, TD-IV), house waste (HWBC, TD-V), grass waste (GWBC, TD-VI), and green waste (GwBC, TD-VII) biochar. There were three replicates for each test diet. Each tank had fifteen tilapia fingerlings, and they were fed with 5% of their live wet weight and twice daily. The outcomes showed that the supplementation of CCBC significantly elevated the growth, nutrient absorption, and body composition of the O. niloticus fingerlings (p < 0.05); with concomitant lowering of the quantity of nutrients released into the water bodies whereas HWBC gave negative impacts. The maximal mineral absorption efficiency (Ca, Na, K, Cu, Fe, P, and Zn) was achieved by the supplementation of 2% CCBC. All hematological parameters showed positive improvements (p < 0.05) with CCBC. Interestingly, CCBC significantly improved the growth, digestibility, body composition, hematology, and mineral status of O. niloticus.

Harnessing plant extracts for eco-friendly synthesis of iron nanoparticle (Fe-NPs): Characterization and their potential applications for ameliorating environmental pollutants.

Iron-nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) are increasingly been utilized in environmental applications due to their efficacy and strong catalytic activities. The novelty of nanoparticle science had attracted many researchers and especially for their green synthesis, which can effectively reuse biological resources during the polymerization reactions. Thus, the synthesis of Fe-NPs utilizing plant extracts could be considered as the eco-friendly, simple, rapid, energy-efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective. The green synthesis route can be recognized as a practical, valuable, and economically effective alternative for large-scale production. During the production process, some biomolecules present in the extracts undergo metal salts reduction, which can serve as both a capping and reducing mechanism, enhancing the reactivity and stability of green-synthesized Fe-NPs. The diversity of species provided a wide range of potential sources for green synthesis of Fe-NPs. With improved understanding of the specific biomolecules involved in the bioreduction and stabilization processes, it will become easier to identify and utilize new, potential plant materials for Fe-NPs synthesis. Newly synthesized Fe-NPs require different characterization techniques such as transmission electron microscope, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and X-ray absorption fine structure, etc, for the determination of size, composition, and structure. This review described and assessed the recent advancements in understanding green-synthesized Fe-NPs derived from plant-based material. Detailed information on various plant materials suitable of yielding valuable biomolecules with potential diverse applications in environmental safety. Additionally, this review examined the characterization techniques employed to analyze Fe-NPs, their stability, accumulation, mobility, and fate in the environment. Holistically, the review assessed the applications of Fe-NPs in remediating wastewaters, organic residues, and inorganic contaminants. The toxicity of Fe-NPs was also addressed; emphasizing the need to refine the synthesis of green Fe-NPs to ensure safety and environmental friendliness. Moving forward, the future challenges and opportunities associated with the green synthesis of Fe-NPs would motivate novel research about nanoparticles in new directions.

A review on mechanisms and prospects of endophytic bacteria in biocontrol of plant pathogenic fungi and their plant growth-promoting activities.

Endophytic bacteria, living inside plants, are competent plant colonizers, capable of enhancing immune responses in plants and establishing a symbiotic relationship with them. Endophytic bacteria are able to control phytopathogenic fungi while exhibiting plant growth-promoting activity. Here, we discussed the mechanisms of phytopathogenic fungi control and plant growth-promoting actions discovered in some major groups of beneficial endophytic bacteria such as Bacillus, Paenibacillus, and Pseudomonas. Most of the studied strains in these genera were isolated from the rhizosphere and soils, and a more extensive study of these endophytic bacteria is needed. It is essential to understand the underlying biocontrol and plant growth-promoting mechanisms and to develop an effective screening approach for selecting potential endophytic bacteria for various applications. We have suggested a screening strategy to identify potentially useful endophytic bacteria based on mechanistic phenomena. The discovery of endophytic bacteria with useful biocontrol and plant growth-promoting characteristics is essential for developing sustainable agriculture.

Geospatial quality assessment of locally available ice for heavy metals and metalloids and their potential risks for human health in Karachi, Pakistan.

Extreme hot conditions during summers, high poverty rate and continuous electricity load shedding affect commercial manufacturing and sale of ice in many countries. The vendors prepared ice using untreated piped water, tanker water and ground water. These waters may contain hazardous pollutants and ice made from them will pose a potential human health risk. Thus, it is important to regularly monitor the chemical composition of water sources and the quality of the manufactured ice. A contemporary examination was carried out to evaluate the physico-chemical properties and heavy metals and metalloids in the ice sold in all the districts of Karachi, Pakistan. This pioneering study was an innovative effort to assess the ice quality in relation to potential pollutant hazards to human health; with concomitant geospatial information. The geospatial distribution of ice quality and major constituents were among the measured parameters; carefully associated with further geospatial information, determined using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and PCA (Principal Component Analysis) techniques. Interestingly, the physico-chemical analyses revealed that the ice quality was marginally adequate and the total mean metal-metalloid contents were in the sequence of Pb > Ni > Zn > Fe > Cr > As. The concentrations of these metals were above the upper allowable limits with reference to the recommended WHO guidelines. We observed that 57.1% and 35.7% ice samples had good physico-chemical properties assessed using the Ice Quality Index (IQI). Conversely, the IQI for metals showed that the ice was unsafe for human consumption. In terms of health risk assessment, the overall mean CDI (Chronic Daily Intake) and HQ (Hazard Quotient) values were in the order of Pb () > Ni (3.2) > Zn (2.3) > Fe (2.1) > Cr (1.6) > As (0.5) and Pb (7.4) > As (1.7) > Cr (0.5) > Ni (0.4 > Zn (0.008) > Fe (0.003), respectively. This study highlighted that routine monitoring of the water supplies available for making ice is required to protect public health.

Thiourea improves yield and quality traits of Brassica napus L. by upregulating the antioxidant defense system under high temperature stress.

High temperature stress influences plant growth, seed yield, and fatty acid contents by causing oxidative damage. This study investigated the potential of thiourea (TU) to mitigate oxidative stress and restoring seed oil content and quality in canola. The study thoroughly examined three main factors: (i) growth conditions-control and high temperature stress (35 °C); (ii) TU supplementation (1000 mg/L)-including variations like having no TU, water application at the seedling stage, TU application at seedling stage (BBCH Scale-39), water spray at anthesis stage, and TU application at anthesis stage (BBCH Scale-60); (iii) and two canola genotypes, 45S42 and Hiola-401, were studied separately. High temperature stress reduced growth and tissue water content, as plant height and relative water contents were decreased by 26 and 36% in 45S42 and 27 and 42% Hiola-401, respectively, resulting in a substantial decrease in seed yield per plant by 36 and 38% in 45S42 and Hiola-401. Seed oil content and quality parameters were also negatively affected by high temperature stress as seed oil content was reduced by 32 and 35% in 45S42 and Hiola-401. High-temperature stress increased the plant stress indicators like malondialdehyde, H2O2 content, and electrolyte leakage; these indicators were increased in both canola genotypes as compared to control. Interestingly, TU supplementation restored plant performance, enhancing height, relative water content, foliar chlorophyll (SPAD value), and seed yield per plant by 21, 15, 30, and 28% in 45S42; 19, 13, 26, and 21% in Hiola-401, respectively, under high temperature stress as compared to control. In addition, seed quality, seed oil content, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were improved by 16, 14, and 22% in 45S42, and 16, 11, and 23% in Hiola-401, as compared to control. The most significant improvements in canola seed yield per plant were observed when TU was applied at the anthesis stage. Additionally, the research highlighted that canola genotype 45S42 responded better to TU applications and exhibited greater resilience against high temperature stress compared to genotype Hiola-401. This interesting study revealed that TU supplementation, particularly at the anthesis stage, improved high temperature stress tolerance, seed oil content, and fatty acid profile in two canola genotypes.

Dynamic temporal neural patterns based on multichannel LFPs Identify different brain states during anesthesia in pigeons: comparison of three anesthetics.

Anesthetic-induced brain activity study is crucial in avian cognitive-, consciousness-, and sleep-related research. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the generation of brain rhythms and specific connectivity of birds during anesthesia are poorly understood. Although different kinds of anesthetics can be used to induce an anesthesia state, a comparison study of these drugs focusing on the neural pattern evolution during anesthesia is lacking. Here, we recorded local field potentials (LFPs) using a multi-channel micro-electrode array inserted into the nidopallium caudolateral (NCL) of adult pigeons (Columba livia) anesthetized with chloral hydrate, pelltobarbitalum natricum or urethane. Power spectral density (PSD) and functional connectivity analyses were used to measure the dynamic temporal neural patterns in NCL during anesthesia. Neural decoding analysis was adopted to calculate the probability of the pigeon's brain state and the kind of injected anesthetic. In the NCL during anesthesia, we found elevated power activity and functional connectivity at low-frequency bands and depressed power activity and connectivity at high-frequency bands. Decoding results based on the spectral and functional connectivity features indicated that the pigeon's brain states during anesthesia and the injected anesthetics can be effectively decoded. These findings provide an important foundation for future investigations on how different anesthetics induce the generation of specific neural patterns.

Relationship Between Mindfulness and Affiliate Stigma in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China: The Mediating Role of Coping Styles.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the current status of affiliate stigma among parents of autistic children, analyze the influencing factors, explore the relationship among mindfulness, coping styles, and affiliate stigma, and verify the mediating role of coping styles between mindfulness and affiliate stigma in parents of children with autism in China. METHOD: Between February and April 2023, the Child Development Behaviour Centre of a public hospital in China recruited 345 parents of children with autism. These parents completed the general information questionnaire, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Affiliate Stigma Scale, and the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. We then adapted the Hayes Process Macro and Bootstrap methods to examine the mediating effects of coping styles between mindfulness and affiliate stigma. RESULTS: (1) The total affiliate stigma score of parents of children with autism was 48.53 (standard deviation:: 10.74). Parents' age, monthly family income, duration of care, mindfulness, and coping styles were the influencing factors of parental affiliate stigma. (2) Mindfulness was positively correlated with positive coping style (r = 0.33, p < .01) and negatively correlated with negative coping style, affiliate stigma (r = -0.38, -0.39, p < .01), whereas affiliate stigma was negatively correlated with positive coping style (r = -0.34, p < .01) and positively correlated with negative coping style (r = 0.41, p < .01). (3) Positive coping style and negative coping style play a parallel mediating role between mindfulness and affiliate stigma of parents of autistic children. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with autism experience significant levels of affiliate stigma. Mindfulness has a direct impact on associated stigma in parents of children with autism and also indirectly predicts associated stigma through the intermediary influence of positive and negative coping styles. Healthcare professionals could perform mindfulness interventions from an optimistic psychology viewpoint to boost parents' mindfulness and coping abilities, thereby accomplishing the objective of mitigating affiliate stigma.

Residual efficiency of iron-nanoparticles and different iron sources on growth, and antioxidants in maize plants under salts stress: life cycle study.

Exogenous application of iron (Fe) may alleviate salinity stress in plants growing in saline soils. This comparative study evaluated the comparative residual effects of iron nanoparticles (FNp) with two other Fe sources including iron-sulphate (FS) and iron-chelate (FC) on maize (Zea mays L.) crop grown under salt stress. All three Fe sources were applied at the rate of 15 and 25 mg/kg of soil before the sowing of wheat (an earlier crop; following the sequence of crop rotation) and no further Fe amendments were added later for the maize crop. Results revealed that FNp application at 25 mg/kg (FNp-2) substantially increased maize height, root length, root dry weight, shoot dry weight, and grain weightby 80.7%, 111.1%, 45.7%, 59.5%, and 77.2% respectively, as compared to the normal controls; and 62.6%, 81.3%, 65.1%, 78%, and 61.2% as compared to salt-stressed controls, respectively. The FNp-2 treatment gave higher activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase compared to salt stressed control (50.6%, 51%, 48.5%, and 49.2%, respectively). The FNp-2 treatment also produced more photosynthetic pigments and better physiological markers: higher chlorophyll a contents by 49.9%, chlorophyll b contents by 67.2%, carotenoids by 62.5%, total chlorophyll contents by 50.3%, membrane stability index by 59.1%, leaf water relative contents by 60.3% as compared to salt stressed control. The highest Fe and Zn concentrations in maize roots, shoots, and grains were observed in FNp treatment as compared to salts stressed control. Higher application rates of Fe from all the sources also delivered better outcomes in alleviating salinity stress in maize compared to their respective low application rates. The study demonstrated that FNp application alleviated salinity stress, increased nutrient uptake and enhanced the yield of maize grown on saline soils.

Enhancing the Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue with Graphene Oxide-Encapsulated g-C3N4/ZnO Ternary Composites.

Methylene blue (MB) is a toxic contaminant present in wastewater. Here, we prepared various composites of graphene oxide (GO) with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and zinc oxide (ZnO) for the degradation of MB. In comparison to ZnO (22.9%) and g-C3N4/ZnO (76.0%), the ternary composites of GO/g-C3N4/ZnO showed 90% photocatalytic degradation of MB under a light source after 60 min. The experimental setup and parameters were varied to examine the process and effectiveness of MB degradation. Based on the results of the experiments, a proposed photocatalytic degradation process that explains the roles of GO, ZnO, and g-C3N4 in improving the photocatalytic efficacy of newly prepared GO/g-C3N4/ZnO was explored. Notably, the g-C3N4/ZnO nanocomposite's surface was uniformly covered with ZnO nanorods. The images of the samples clearly demonstrated the porous nature of GO/g-C3N4/ZnO photocatalysts, and even after being mixed with GO, the g-C3N4/ZnO composite retained the layered structure of the original material. The catalyst's porous structure plausibly enhanced the degradation of the contaminants. The high-clarity production of g-C3N4 and the effectiveness of the synthesis protocol were later validated by the absence of any trace contamination in the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results. The composition of the ZnO elements and their spectra were revealed by the EDS results of the prepared ZnO nanorods, g-C3N4/ZnO, and GO/g-C3N4/ZnO. The outcomes indicated that the nanocomposites were highly uncontaminated and contained all necessary elements to facilitate the transformative process. The results of this experiment could be applied at a large scale, thus proving the effectiveness of photocatalysts for the removal of dyes.

Characterization of three lamp genes from largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides): molecular cloning, expression patterns, and their transcriptional levels in response to fast and refeeding strategy.

Lysosomes-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs), a family of glycosylated proteins and major constituents of the lysosomal membranes, play a dominant role in various cellular processes, including phagocytosis, autophagy and immunity in mammals. However, their roles in aquatic species remain poorly known. In the present study, three lamp genes were cloned and characterized from Micropterus salmoides. Subsequently, their transcriptional levels in response to different nutritional status were investigated. The full-length coding sequences of lamp1, lamp2 and lamp3 were 1251bp, 1224bp and 771bp, encoding 416, 407 and 256 amino acids, respectively. Multiple sequence alignment showed that LAMP1-3 were highly conserved among the different fish species, respectively. 3-D structure prediction, genomic survey, and phylogenetic analysis were further confirmed that these genes are widely existed in vertebrates. The mRNA expression of the three genes was ubiquitously expressed in all selected tissues, including liver, brain, gill, heart, muscle, spleen, kidney, stomach, adipose and intestine, lamp1 shows highly transcript levels in brain and muscle, lamp2 displays highly expression level in heart, muscle and spleen, but lamp3 shows highly transcript level in spleen, liver and kidney. To analyze the function of the three genes under starvation stress in largemouth bass, three experimental treatment groups (fasted group and refeeding group, control group) were established in the current study. The results indicated that the expression of lamp1 was significant induced after starvation, and then returned to normal levels after refeeding in the liver. The expression of lamp2 and lamp3 exhibited the same trend in the liver. In addition, in the spleen and the kidney, the transcript level of lamp1 and lamp2 was remarkably increased in the fasted treatment group and slightly decreased in the refed treatment group, respectively. Collectively, our findings suggest that three lamp genes may have differential function in the immune and energetic organism in largemouth bass, which is helpful in understanding roles of lamps in aquatic species.

Long-term remission and survival in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after treatment with LCAR-B38M CAR T cells: 5-year follow-up of the LEGEND-2 trial.

BACKGROUND: The autologous anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy LCAR-B38M has been approved for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma in many countries across the world under the name ciltacabtagene autoleucel. LEGEND-2 was the first-in-human trial of LCAR-B38M and yielded deep and durable therapeutic responses. Here, we reported the outcomes in LEGEND-2 after a minimal 5-year follow-up. METHODS: Participants received an average dose of 0.5 × 106 cells/kg LCAR-B38M in split or single unfractionated infusions after cyclophosphamide-based lymphodepletion therapy. Investigator-assessed response, survival, safety and pharmacokinetics were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy-four participants enrolled and had a median follow-up of 65.4 months. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 21.0% and 49.1%, with progressive flattening of the survival curves over time. Patients with complete response (CR) had longer PFS and OS, with 5-year rates of 28.4% and 65.7%, respectively. Twelve patients (16.2%) remained relapse-free irrespective of baseline high-risk cytogenetic abnormality and all had normal humoral immunity reconstituted. An ongoing CR closely correlated with several prognostic baseline indices including favorable performance status, immunoglobulin G subtype, and absence of extramedullary disease, as well as a combination cyclophosphamide and fludarabine preconditioning strategy. Sixty-two (83.8%) suffered progressive disease (PD) and/or death; however, 61.1% of PD patients could well respond to subsequent therapies, among which, the proteasome inhibitor-based regimens benefited the most. Concerning the safety, hematologic and hepatic function recovery were not significantly different between non-PD and PD/Death groups. A low rate of second primary malignancy (5.4%) and no severe virus infection were observed. The patients who tested positive for COVID-19 merely presented self-limiting symptoms. In addition, a sustainable CAR T population of one case with persistent remission was delineated, which was enriched with indolently proliferative and lowly cytotoxic CD4/CD8 double-negative functional T lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS: These data, representing the longest follow-up of BCMA-redirected CAR T-cell therapy to date, demonstrate long-term remission and survival with LCAR-B38M for advanced myeloma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: LEGEND-2 was registered under the trial numbers NCT03090659, ChiCTRONH-17012285.

Progress of Micro-Stimulation Techniques to Alter Pigeons' Motor Behavior: A Review from the Perspectives of the Neural Basis and Neuro-Devices.

Pigeons have natural advantages in robotics research, including a wide range of activities, low energy consumption, good concealment performance, strong long-distance weight bearing and continuous flight ability, excellent navigation, and spatial cognitive ability, etc. They are typical model animals in the field of animal robot research and have important application value. A hot interdisciplinary research topic and the core content of pigeon robot research, altering pigeon motor behavior using brain stimulation involves multiple disciplines including animal ethology, neuroscience, electronic information technology and artificial intelligence technology, etc. In this paper, we review the progress of altering pigeon motor behavior using brain stimulation from the perspectives of the neural basis and neuro-devices. The recent literature on altering pigeon motor behavior using brain stimulation was investigated first. The neural basis, structure and function of a system to alter pigeon motor behavior using brain stimulation are briefly introduced below. Furthermore, a classified review was carried out based on the representative research achievements in this field in recent years. Our summary and discussion of the related research progress cover five aspects including the control targets, control parameters, control environment, control objectives, and control system. Future directions that need to be further studied are discussed, and the development trend in altering pigeon motor behavior using brain stimulation is projected.

Synergistic interplay between melatonin and hydrogen sulfide enhances cadmium-induced oxidative stress resistance in stock (Matthiola incana L.).

Ornamental crops particularly cut flowers are considered sensitive to heavy metals (HMs) induced oxidative stress condition. Melatonin (MLT) is a versatile phytohormone with the ability to mitigate abiotic stresses induced oxidative stress in plants. Similarly, signaling molecules such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have emerged as potential options for resolving HMs related problems in plants. The mechanisms underlying the combined application of MLT and H2S are not yet explored. Therefore, we evaluated the ability of individual and combined applications of MLT (100 µM) and H2S in the form of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a donor of H2S, (1.5 mM) to alleviate cadmium (Cd) stress (50 mg L-1) in stock (Matthiola incana L.) plants by measuring various morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics. The results depicted that Cd-stress inhibited growth, photosynthesis and induced Cd-associated oxidative stress as depicted by excessive ROS accumulation. Combined application of MLT and H2S efficiently recovered all these attributes. Furthermore, Cd stress-induced oxidative stress markers including electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide are partially reversed in Cd-stressed plants by MLT and H2S application. This might be attributed to MLT or H2S induced antioxidant plant defense activities, which effectively reduce the severity of oxidative stress indicators. Overall, MLT and H2S supplementation, favorably regulated Cd tolerance in stock; yet, the combined use had a greater effect on Cd tolerance than the independent application.

An EEG Study on [Formula: see text] Phase-Amplitude Coupling-Based Functional Brain Network in Epilepsy Patients.

Epilepsy, a chronic neuropsychiatric brain disorder characterized with recurrent seizures, is closely associated with abnormal neural communications within the brain. Despite that the phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) has been suggested to offer a new way to observe neural interactions during epilepsy, however, few studies pay attention to alterations of the epileptic functional brain network based on PAC, especially on the [Formula: see text] PAC. Therefore, we use scalp electroencephalography (EEG) data of epileptic patients and the [Formula: see text] PAC modulation index (MI) to construct functional brain networks to examine variations of neural interactions during different epileptic phases. Statistically, the findings show that between-channel MI values in the post-ictal period significantly increase compared to that in the pre-ictal period, and the between-channel MI value has a close association with the information of phase and amplitude provided by the channels. Importantly, in both the phase-amplitude and amplitude-phase functional brain networks, the average node degree is remarkably higher in the post-ictal period than that in the pre-ictal period, whereas the characteristic path length in the ictal and post-ictal periods is significantly lower than that in the pre-ictal period. Besides, the average betweenness centrality in the post-ictal period is remarkably higher than that in the ictal period. Interestingly, the positive correlations between within-channel MI values and between-channel MI values can be observed during the pre-ictal, ictal and post-ictal periods. These findings suggest that the [Formula: see text] PAC-based functional brain network may provide a novel perspective to understanding alterations of neural interactions during the epileptic evolution, and may contribute to effectively controlling the spread of epileptic seizures.

Moniezia benedeni infection increases IgE+ cells in sheep (Ovis aries) small intestine.

The concentration of immunoglobulin (Ig) E is the lowest among serum Igs, but it can induces type I hypersensitivity and plays an important role in anti-parasitic infection. The present study aimed to explore the residence characteristics of IgE+ cells in the sheep small intestine and the impact of Moniezia benedeni infection on them. The recombinant plasmids pET-28a-IgE were constructed and induced and expressed in Escherichia coli. BL21 (DE3). The rabbit anti-sheep IgE polyclonal antibody was prepared using the obtained recombinant protein as antigen. Finally, the levels of IgE+ cells in the small intestine of healthy (Control group) and naturally M. benedeni-infected (Infected group) sheep were detected analyzed. The results showed that the rabbit anti-sheep IgE polyclonal antibody with good immunogenicity (titer = 1: 128000) could specifically bind to the heavy chain of natural sheep IgE. In the Control group, the IgE+ cells were mainly distributed in lamina propria of the small intestine, and the densities were significantly decreased from duodenum to ileum (P<0.05), with respective values of (4.28 cells / 104 µm2, 1.80 cells / 104 µm2, and 1.44 cells / 104 µm2 in duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. In the Infected group, IgE+ cells density were 6.26 cells / 104 µm2, 3.01 cells / 104 µm2, and 2.09 cells / 104 µm2 in duodenum, jejunum and ileum respectively, which were significantly higher in all segments compared to the Control group (P<0.05), increasing by 46.26%, 67.22% and 45.14%, respectively. In addition, compared with the Control group, the IgE protein levels were significantly increased in all intestinal segments of the Infected group (P<0.01), however, there was no significant differences among the different intestinal segments within the same group (P>0.05). The results demonstrated that M. benedeni infection could significantly increase the content of IgE and the distribution density of its secreting cells in sheep small intestine. The intestinal mucosal immune system of sheep presented obvious specificity against M. benedeni infection. This lays a good foundation for further exploring molecular mechanisms of the intestinal mucosal immune system monitoring and responding to M. benedeni infection.

Substitution of fishmeal: Highlights of potential plant protein sources for aquaculture sustainability.

High protein content, excellent amino acid profile, absence of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), high digestibility and good palatability of fishmeal (FM), make it a major source of protein in aquaculture. Naturally derived FM is at risk due to an increase in its demand, unsustainable practices, and price. Thus, there is an urgent need to find affordable and suitable protein sources to replace FM. Plant protein sources are suitable due to their widespread availability and low cost. However, they contained certain ANFs, deficiency of some amino acids, low nutrient bioavailability and poor digestibility due to presence of starch and fiber. These unfavourable characteristics make them less suitable for feed as compared to FM. Thus, these potential challenges and limitations associated with various plant proteins have to be overcome by using different methods, i.e. enzymatic pretreatments, solvent extraction, heat treatments and fermentation, that are discussed briefly in this review. This review assessed the impacts of plant products on growth performance, body composition, flesh quality, changes in metabolic activities and immune response of fishes. To minimize the negative effects and to enhance nutritional value of plant products, beneficial functional additives such as citric acid, phytase and probiotics could be incorporated into the plant-based FM. Interestingly, these additives improve growth of fishes by increasing digestibility and nutrient utilization of plant based feeds. Overall, this review demonstrated that the substitution of fishmeal by plant protein sources is a plausible, technically-viable and practical option for sustainable aquaculture feed production.

New Insights into the Bio-Chemical Changes in Wheat Induced by Cd and Drought: What Can We Learn on Cd Stress Using Neutron Imaging?

Cadmium (Cd) and drought stresses are becoming dominant in a changing climate. This study explored the impact of Cd and Cd + drought stress on durum wheat grown in soil and sand at two Cd levels. The physiological parameters were studied using classical methods, while the root architecture was explored using non-invasive neutron computed tomography (NCT) for the first time. Under Cd + drought, all the gas exchange parameters were significantly affected, especially at 120 mg/kg Cd + drought. Elevated Cd was found in the sand-grown roots. We innovatively show the Cd stress impact on the wheat root volume and architecture, and the water distribution in the "root-growing media" was successfully visualized using NCT. Diverse and varying root architectures were observed for soil and sand under the Cd stress compared to the non-stress conditions, as revealed using NCT. The intrinsic structure of the growing medium was responsible for a variation in the water distribution pattern. This study demonstrated a pilot approach to use NCT for quantitative and in situ mapping of Cd stress on wheat roots and visualized the water dynamics in the rhizosphere. The physiological and NCT data provide valuable information to relate further to genetic information for the identification of Cd-resilient wheat varieties in the changing climate.

Selective oxidation of ß-keto ester modulated by the d-band centers in D-A conjugated microporous metallaphotoredox catalysts containing M-salen (MZn, Cu and Co) and triazine monomers.

Photocatalytic selective oxidation plays an important role in developing green chemistry. However, it is challenging to design an efficient photocatalyst for controlling the selectivity of photocatalytic oxidation reaction and exploring its detailed mechanism. Here, we synthesized three conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) with D-A structures, named M-SATE-CMPs (MZn, Cu and Co), with different d-band centers based on different metal centers, resulting in the discrepancy in adsorption and activation capacities for the reactants, which produces the selectivity of ß-keto esters being catalyzed into α-hydroperoxide ß-keto esters (ROOH) or to α-hydroxyl ß-keto esters (ROH). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also demonstrate that the adsorption and activation capacities of the metal active centers in M-SATE-CMPs (MZn, Cu and Co) for ROOH are the key factors to influence the photocatalytic selective oxidation of ß-keto ester. This study provides a promising strategy for designing a metallaphotoredox catalyst whose photocatalytic selectivity depends on the d-band center of metal site in the catalyst.

An Evidence-Based Medical Review on Promoting Gastrointestinal Function Recovery After Colorectal Cancer Surgery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to search for, evaluate, and summarize data related to a faster postoperative recovery in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) based on literature from China as well as internationally. This will serve as an evidence-based foundation for the clinical implementation of enhanced postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients with CRC. Methods: Based on the hierarchical "6S" evidence model, we conducted a systematic search of computerized decision-support systems, guideline websites, as well as domestic and international databases for evidence, guidelines, expert consensus statements, clinical decision-making, best practices, evidence summaries, and systematic reviews of interventions focusing on accelerating gastrointestinal function rehabilitation after CRC surgery. The time limit for the search was from the date of creation of the database to January 2023. Two researchers evaluated the quality of the literature that was included, and we extracted data and summarized the evidence from those publications that fulfilled the quality criteria. Results: The review included a total of 21 publications, comprising 6 guidelines, 6 systematic reviews, 3 expert consensus statements, 4 randomized controlled trials, and 2 evidence summaries. We summarized 51 best evidence findings across five areas: organizational management, preoperative risk assessment, education, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative management. Conclusion: There is a wide variety and wealth of information available on interventions to promote enhanced postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients with CRC. The use of evidence is discussed, keeping in mind the practical situation in China.