Co-occurrence behaviors of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and heavy metals in the groundwater of dyeing industrial sites in southern China.

This study investigates the co-occurrence, seasonal variations and environmental control factors of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and potential toxic heavy metals in groundwater at dyeing industrial sites in Foshan, southern China. Unlike earlier studies that focused on PFASs or heavy metals in the abandoned sites, this study represents the first comprehensive assessment of eight long-operating (>15 years) sites. The results revealed substantial contamination of PFASs and heavy metals, the total PFAS (ΣPFASs) concentrations ranged from 67.

Gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) induces glucose metabolism disorders and ovarian dysfunction in ovarian white follicles of hens.

Energy metabolism is crucial for reproduction, and disturbances in glucose metabolism are closely associated with reproductive disorders. The gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) plays a crucial role in reproduction and glucose homeostasis in both birds and mammals. However, its specific effects on glucose metabolism-associated ovarian dysfunction in hens remain uncharacterized.

Rest grazing from the critical period of soil thawing in spring promoted the biomass accumulation and optimized resource allocation of 21 plant species in alpine meadow.

Changing biomass allocation patterns and resource allocation is an important strategy for plants to adapt to environmental changes. We studied the effects of rest grazing in different periods of spring on plant biomass allocation in alpine meadow and provided a basis for grazing management. In this experiment, we studied the effects of different periods of rest grazing included soil thawing critical period to plant withering period (RP1), early grass returning green period to plant withering period (RP2) and local traditional rest grazing to plant withering period (RP3) on the biomass allocation and the length of aboveground and underground plants of 21 species.

Initiation of rest-grazing during soil thawing improves interspecific relationships and stability of plant communities on alpine grassland.

Introduction: Grazing management is essential to maintain the stability of grassland ecosystems.

Methods: To determine the optimal rest-grazing period of alpine meadow, five rest-grazing periods were set based on soil thawing and plant re-greening in this study. The niche, interspecific relationships, and stability of plant communities at different rest-grazing periods were investigated.

Drug-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Enhance Antitumor Immunotherapy by Regulating MDSCs.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are recognized as major immune suppressor cells in the tumor microenvironment that may inhibit immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Here, we developed a Stattic-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticle (PEG-MSN-Stattic) delivery system to tumor sites to reduce the number of MDSCs in tumors. This approach is able to significantly deplete intratumoral MSDCs and thereby increase the infiltration of T lymphocytes in tumors to enhance ICB therapy.

Peripheral 5-HT Mediates Gonadotropin-Inhibitory Hormone-Induced Feeding Behavior and Energy Metabolism Disorder in Chickens via the 5-HT2C Receptor.

Introduction: Since the discovery of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), it has been found to play a critical role in reproduction in vertebrates. Recently, a regulatory role of GnIH in appetite and energy metabolism has emerged, although its precise physiological mechanisms remain unknown.

Methods: Thus, the present study evaluated the effects of a single or long-term intraperitoneal GnIH treatment on the food intake, weight, and glucolipid metabolism of chickens, as well as investigating the possible neuroendocrinology factors and mechanisms involved in GnIH-induced obesity and glucolipid metabolism disorder.

The possibly role of GnIH in stress and gut dysfunction in chicken.

Stress is known to disrupt the intestinal barrier and induce intestinal dysfunction. A critical role for gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in stress has emerged. However, whether GnIH mediates stress-induced intestinal dysfunction remains unknown.

Evaluation of land resources carrying capacity based on entropy weight and cloud similarity.

Land is the foundation of human life and development, which is also the most important part of a country. The study of land carrying capacity is one of the important contents of land management, wherein the evaluation of land resource carrying capacity (LRCC) is an important reference for land resource planning. Aiming at the information fuzziness and uncertainty in the evaluation of LRCC, firstly, a comprehensive evaluation model based on entropy weight and normal cloud similarity was proposed, which is based on cloud model theory and combined with normal cloud similarity measurement method and entropy weight method.

M2 microglia-derived exosomes promote vascular remodeling in diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a vision-threatening diabetic complication that is characterized by microvasculature impairment and immune dysfunction. The present study demonstrated that M2 microglia intensively participated in retinal microangiopathy in human diabetic proliferative membranes, mice retinas, retinas of mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mice, and retinas of streptozotocin-induced DR mice. Further in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that exosomes derived from M2 polarized microglia (M2-exo) could reduce pericyte apoptosis and promote endothelial cell proliferation, thereby promoting vascular remodeling and reducing vascular leakage from the diabetic retina.

Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally.

Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity.

Research on linguistic multi-attribute decision making method for normal cloud similarity.

Aiming at the uncertainty linguistic transformation problem in multi-attribute decision making, a decision-making method based on normal cloud similarity was proposed. Firstly, starting from the normal cloud characteristic curves, a normal cloud similarity measurement method based on Wasserstein distance is proposed by combing with the normal cloud entropy-containing expectation curve, which is using the Wasserstein distance to characterize the similarity characteristics of probability distribution. The properties of the proposed similarity measure are discussed in the paper.

Responses of community traits and soil characteristics of -type degraded grassland to grazing systems in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Introduction: Scientific grazing management is of great significance for the ecological health and sustainable use of alpine meadows.

Methods: To explore appropriate management methods of alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau degraded by (Hance) Keng ex Tzvele presence, we studied the effects of different grazing systems on the population, grassland vegetation community traits, soil characteristics and soil microbial community structure for cold- season grazing plus supplementary feeding pasture (CSF) and four-season open public pasture (FOP) in Tianzhu County, Gansu Province.

Results: Compared with FOP, the CSF site showed significantly inhibited reproduction of , especially the crown width, seed yield and number of reproductive branches per plant were as high as 50%, significantly increased the aboveground biomass of edible forage and soil water content by 57% and 43-55%, better soil nutrients, and significantly reduced soil bulk density by 10- 29%.

Triphosgene and Triphenylphosphine Oxide-Mediated Cascade Heterocyclization of -Acylated Anilines: One-Pot Synthesis of 2,4-Dichloroquinolines.

A one-pot cascade chlorination/heterocyclization strategy has been developed for the synthesis of 2,4-dichloro-substituted quinolines from acylated anilines using triphosgene and triphenylphosphine oxide. Obviating the conventional harsh conditions of chlorination, synthetic useful quinolines with moderate to good yields were obtained through this reaction. The mechanism study exhibited that the formation of a β-enamine intermediate plays a vital role in the generation of the final product.

Reduced attention on restricted organochlorine pesticides, whereas still noteworthy of the impact on the deep soil and groundwater: a historical site study in southern China.

The use of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in pesticides has been prohibited for decades in China. Since then, there have been urbanization and transformation of the functional areas of many sites, which were formerly involved in the HCH industry. However, it is possible that, unless properly managed, these sites may still contain HCH residues in the soil and thus pose a threat to the surrounding environment and the quality of groundwater.

Polyethylenimine-protected green-emission copper nanoclusters as highly effective fluorescent and colorimetric nanoprobe for selective cobalt ions and temperature sensing.

Excessive uptake of Co is harmful to one's physical health and should not be ignored. Herein, a polyethylenimine (PEI) protected hydrophilic copper nanoclusters (PEI-CuNCs) with strong green fluorescence emission around 510 nm was apace synthesized employing a one-pot method without hyperthermia. Interestingly, the as-prepared water-soluble PEI-CuNCs can be specifically quenched by Co at pH 6.

Lens epithelial cell-derived exosome inhibits angiogenesis in ocular pathological neovascularization through its delivery of miR-146a-5p.

Abnormal ocular neovascularization, a major pathology of eye diseases, leads to severe visual loss. The role of lens epithelial cell (LEC)-derived exosomes (Lec-exo) is largely unknown. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether Lec-exo can inhibit abnormal ocular neovascularization and explore the possible mechanisms.

The Exosome-Transmitted lncRNA LOC100132249 Induces Endothelial Dysfunction in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Unlabelled: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the most common microangiopathic complications in diabetes, causes severe visual damage among working-age populations. Retinal vascular endothelial cells, the key cell type in DR pathogenesis, are responsible for abnormal retinal angiogenesis in advanced stages of DR. The roles of exosomes in DR have been largely unknown.

Peripheral Gonadotropin-Inhibitory Hormone (GnIH) Acting as a Novel Modulator Involved in Hyperphagia-Induced Obesity and Associated Disorders of Metabolism in an In Vivo Female Piglet Model.

Apart from the well-established role of the gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in the regulation of the reproductive functions, much less is known about the peripheral role of the GnIH and its receptor in the metabolic processes. On account of pig being an excellent model for studies of food intake and obesity in humans, we investigated the peripheral effects of the GnIH on food intake and energy homeostasis and revealed the underlying mechanism(s) in female piglets in vivo. Compared to the vehicle-treated group, intraperitoneally injected GnIH significantly increased the food intake and altered the meal microstructure both in the fasting and ad libitum female piglet.

Possible Role of GnIH as a Novel Link between Hyperphagia-Induced Obesity-Related Metabolic Derangements and Hypogonadism in Male Mice.

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a reproductive inhibitor and an endogenous orexigenic neuropeptide that may be involved in energy homeostasis and reproduction. However, whether GnIH is a molecular signal link of metabolism and the reproductive system, and thus, regulates reproductive activity as a function of the energy state, is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of GnIH in glycolipid metabolism and reproduction in vivo, and in the coupling between these two processes in the testis level.

Neuroprotective potential of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element signaling modulator cucurbitacin I upon glucose and oxygen deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/RP).

This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of Cucurbitacin I (Cu I) on apoptosis, oxidative stress, and mitophagy in PC12 cells with glucose and oxygen deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/RP) injury. OGD/RP cell injury model was established by gas anoxic cell incubator and glucose-free medium. The cells were divided into the control group, OGD/RP group, OGD/RP + Cu I group, and OGD/RP + Cu I + 2 µM nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inhibitor ML385 group.

An invasive species erodes the performance of coastal wetland protected areas.

The world has increasingly relied on protected areas (PAs) to rescue highly valued ecosystems from human activities, but whether PAs will fare well with bioinvasions remains unknown. By analyzing three decades of seven of the largest coastal PAs in China, including World Natural Heritage and/or Wetlands of International Importance sites, we show that, although PAs are achieving success in rescuing iconic wetlands and critical shorebird habitats from once widespread reclamation, this success is counteracted by escalating plant invasions. Plant invasions were not only more extensive in PAs than non-PA controls but also undermined PA performance by, without human intervention, irreversibly replacing expansive native wetlands (primarily mudflats) and precluding successional formation of new native marshes.

Consumer regulation of the carbon cycle in coastal wetland ecosystems.

Despite escalating anthropogenic alteration of food webs, how the carbon cycle in ecosystems is regulated by food web processes remains poorly understood. We quantitatively synthesize the effects of consumers (herbivores, omnivores and carnivores) on the carbon cycle of coastal wetland ecosystems, 'blue carbon' ecosystems that store the greatest amount of carbon per unit area among all ecosystems. Our results reveal that consumers strongly affect many processes of the carbon cycle.