Urbanization leads to asynchronous homogenization of soil microbial communities across biomes.

Soil bacterial and fungal communities play fundamental roles in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem stability. Urbanization alters soil properties and microbial habitats, driving shifts in community composition, yet the divergent responses of bacteria and fungi and their ecological consequences remain inadequately understood. To elucidate these differential responses, we investigated soil bacterial and fungal communities along an urbanization gradient, ranging from undisturbed reference forests to urban parks, across three distinct climatic regions.

Targeted activation on Bnip3 enhances mitophagy to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis.

Background: The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction in chondrocytes are closely related to cartilage degeneration in the procedure of osteoarthritis (OA). Mitophagy is responsible for the scavenging of ROS and dysfunctional mitochondria and is considered a key therapeutic target for the treatment of OA. Tiopronin, a classic thiol antioxidant, has been widely studied for the treatment of various oxidative stress-related diseases.

What drives metal resistance genes in urban park soils? Park age matters across biomes.

Although resistance genes are a global concern in ecosystems, the underlying factors responsible for their worldwide dissemination, especially in urban greenspaces, are poorly known. To investigate metal and metal resistance genes (MRGs) accumulation in urban parks, we used ICP-MS to analyze metal concentrations and GeoChip functional gene arrays to analyze MRGs abundances in vegetation types with labile and recalcitrant litter across urban parks and non-urban reference sites in three distinct climatic regions: Boreal (Finland), Temperate (Baltimore, USA), and Tropical (Singapore). Our results indicate that metal concentrations and MRGs abundances in park soils increase with park age across climatic zones, especially so for the dominant metals - Fe and Al - accounting for more than 90% of the total metal content, and others, e.

Association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and developmental disabilities in US children and adolescents: A cross-sectional study from NHANES.

Introduction: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with placental DNA methylation and RNA expression, offspring DNA methylation, and affects the decline of mature neurons and the prenatal human brain development trajectory.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2003 to 2008, comprising 10111 children and adolescents. Inclusion criteria required participants to have complete questionnaire responses regarding maternal smoking during pregnancy and receipt of special education or early intervention services.

Urban soils immobilize harmful microbes and antibiotic resistance genes.

Exposure to harmful microbiomes and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can negatively affect human health. However, the contribution of vegetation and soils to the airborne microbiota transferred indoors (AMTI) remains unclear. We used our newly-developed airborne microbial sampler (VenTube) to collect AMTI samples from 72 neighborhoods in Shanghai.

Shaping rhizocompartments and phyllosphere microbiomes and antibiotic resistance genes: The influence of different fertilizer regimes and biochar application.

Understanding the impact of different soil amendments on microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) dissemination is crucial for optimizing agricultural practices and mitigating environmental risks. This study investigated the effects of different fertilizer regimes and biochar on plant-associated bacterial communities and ARGs dissemination. The biochar's structural and chemical characteristics were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, revealing a porous architecture with diverse functional groups.

Neighborhood plant community, airborne microbiota transferred indoors and prevalence of respiratory diseases are interrelated: A cross-sectional study.

Airborne microbiota transferred indoors (AMTI) is linked to human respiratory health. Yet, the factors influencing these microorganisms and their connections to the prevalence of respiratory diseases (RDs) remain unclear. In this study, we examined plant communities and AMTI using VenTube, next-generation sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 72 Shanghai neighborhoods in warm and cold seasons, respectively.

The simultaneous addition of chitosan and peat enhanced the removals of antibiotics resistance genes during biogas residues composting.

Direct reuse of biogas residue (BR) has the potential to contribute to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Although high-temperature composting has been demonstrated as an effective method for the harmless treatment of organic waste, there is few researches on the fate of ARGs in high-temperature composting of BR. This research examined the impact of adding 5% chitosan and 15% peat on physicochemical characteristics, microbial communities, and removal of ARGs during BR-straw composting in 12 Biolan 220L composters for 48 days.

Presenting dual-functional peptides on implant surface to direct in vitro osteogenesis and in vivo osteointegration.

The complex biological process of osseointegration and the bio-inertness of bone implants are the major reasons for the high failure rate of long-term implants, and have also promoted the rapid development of multifunctional implant coatings in recent years. Herein, through the special design of peptides, we use layer-by-layer assembly technology to simultaneously display two peptides with different biological functions on the implant surface to address this issue. A variety of surface characterization techniques (ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, dissipation-quartz crystal microbalance) were used to study in detail the preparation process of the dual peptide functional coating and the physical and chemical properties, such as the composition, mechanical modulus, stability, and roughness of the coating.

Functionalized γ-Boehmite Covalent Grafting Modified Polyethylene for Lithium-Ion Battery Separator.

In the field of lithium-ion batteries, the challenges posed by the low melting point and inadequate wettability of conventional polyolefin separators have increased the focus on ceramic-coated separators. This study introduces a highly efficient and stable boehmite/polydopamine/polyethylene (AlOOH-PDA-PE) separator. It is crafted by covalently attaching functionalized nanosized boehmite (γ-AlOOH) whiskers onto polyethylene (PE) surfaces.

Urbanization influences the indoor transfer of airborne antibiotic resistance genes, which has a seasonally dependent pattern.

Over the last few years, the cumulative use of antibiotics in healthcare institutions, as well as the rearing of livestock and poultry, has resulted in the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This presents a substantial danger to human health worldwide. The characteristics of airborne ARGs, especially those transferred from outdoors to indoors, remains largely unexplored in neighborhoods, even though a majority of human population spends most of their time there.

Hydrolase and plastic-degrading microbiota explain degradation of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics during high-temperature composting.

This research aims to explore the degradation properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by PET hydrolase (WCCG) in high-temperature composting and its impact on microbial communities. PET degradation, composting parameters and microbial communities were assessed in 220 L sludge composters with PET and WCCG using high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that WCCG addition led to a deceleration of the humification process and a reduction in the relative abundance of thermophilic genera.

Responses of microbial communities in rhizocompartments of king grass to phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soil.

King grass has been recognized as a potential phytoremediation plant species due to its high biomass and resistance to heavy metals (HMs). However, the possible impacts of cadmium (Cd) contamination on rhizocompartments' microbial activities in association with king grass have not been extensively explored. The utilization of 16S rRNA gene and ITS sequencing was carried out to examine alterations in the bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of king grass in response to low and high Cd stress.

Slow release of attapulgite based nano-enabled glyphosate improves soil phosphatase activity, organic P-pool and proliferation of dominant bacterial community.

Glyphosate (Glp) was encapsulated onto the dopamine-modified attapulgite to develop an attapulgite-based nano-enabled Glp (DGlp) in this study with comparable weed control effects to pure Glp and commercial Glp solutions. Within 24 hours, the active Glp molecule was slowly released from DGlp at a maximum remaining rate of over 90%, and then degraded similarly to Glp solution in soil. The addition of DGlp improved soil available phosphorus (P) contents, phosphatase activity, and enzyme extractable P fraction.

A limited overlap of interactions between the bacterial community of water and sediment in wetland ecosystem of the Yellow River floodplain.

Introduction: Aquatic ecosystems in floodplains provide homes for a variety of active bacterial populations. However, the coexistence pattern of bacterial communities of water and sediment in these ecosystems is unclear.

Methods: In the present study, Illumina Mi-Seq sequencing were to assess bacteria's co-occurrence patterns in the water and sediment of different time dynamics and plant communities of the Yellow River floodplain ecosystem.

Pleiotropic melatonin-mediated responses on growth and cadmium phytoextraction of Brassica napus: A bioecological trial for enhancing phytoremediation of soil cadmium.

Melatonin (MT) has recently gained significant scientific interest, though its mechanism of action in enhancing plant vigor, cadmium (Cd) tolerance, and Cd phytoremediation processes are poorly understood. Therefore, here we investigated the beneficial role of MT in improving growth and Cd remediation potential of rapeseed (Brassica napus). Plants, with or without MT (200 µM L), were subjected to Cd stress (30 mg kg).

Piriformospora indica alter root-associated microbiome structure to enhance Artemisia annua L. tolerance to arsenic.

Microorganisms in the rhizosphere are crucial allies for plant stress tolerance. Recent research suggests that by interacting with the rhizosphere microbiome, microorganisms can aid in the revegetation of soils contaminated with heavy metal(loid)s (HMs). However, it is unknown that how Piriformospora indica influences the rhizosphere microbiome to mitigate arsenic-toxicity in arsenic-enriched environments.

A Genomic Quantitative Study on the Contribution of the Ancestral-State Bases Relative to Derived Bases in the Divergence and Local Adaptation of .

Identifying alleles associated with adaptation to new environments will advance our understanding of evolution from the molecular level. Previous studies have found that the southwest population in East Asia has differentiated from other populations in the range. We aimed to evaluate the contributions of the ancestral-state bases (ASBs) relative to derived bases (DBs) in the local adaptation of in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau from a quantitative perspective using whole-genome re-sequencing data from 90 samples from three regions across the species range.

Skin, gut, and sand metagenomic data on placebo-controlled sandbox biodiversity intervention study.

The metagenomic data presented in this article are related to the published research of "A Placebo-controlled double-blinded test of the biodiversity hypothesis of immune-mediated diseases: Environmental microbial diversity elicits changes in cytokines and increase in T regulatory cells in young children" This database contains 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) metagenomics of sandbox sand and skin and gut microbiota of children in the intervention and placebo daycares. In intervention daycares, children aged 3-5 years were exposed to playground sand enriched with microbially diverse soil. In placebo daycares, children were exposed to visually similar as in intervention daycares, but microbially poor sand colored with peat.

Computation of Binding Energy of MCS and GO-Grafted MCS with Waterborne Epoxy Resin Using Density Functional Theory Method: Investigating the Corrosion Resistance of the Composite Coatings.

In order to overcome the problems of poor corrosion resistance and low hydrophobicity of water-based coatings. Two corrosion-inhibiting materials, graphene oxide (GO) and modified chitosan (MCS), were added to the coatings to obtain a new type of coating with comprehensive properties. The composite material formed by PVA cross-linked waterborne epoxy resin was named "substrate".

Meat and bone meal stimulates microbial diversity and suppresses plant pathogens in asparagus straw composting.

Meat and bone meal (MBM), as slaughterhouse waste, is a potential biostimulating agent, but its efficiency and reliability in composting are largely unknown. To access the MBM application to the composting process of asparagus straw rice, we followed the composting process for 60 days in 220-L composters and another 180 days in 20-L buckets in treatments applied with MBM or urea. The microbial succession was investigated by high-throughput sequencing.

A Placebo-controlled double-blinded test of the biodiversity hypothesis of immune-mediated diseases: Environmental microbial diversity elicits changes in cytokines and increase in T regulatory cells in young children.

Background: According to the biodiversity hypothesis of immune-mediated diseases, lack of microbiological diversity in the everyday living environment is a core reason for dysregulation of immune tolerance and - eventually - the epidemic of immune-mediated diseases in western urban populations. Despite years of intense research, the hypothesis was never tested in a double-blinded and placebo-controlled intervention trial.

Objective: We aimed to perform the first placebo-controlled double-blinded test that investigates the effect of biodiversity on immune tolerance.

Soil microbiota associated with immune-mediated disease was influenced by heavy metal stress in roadside soils of Shanghai.

Heavy metals (HMs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in soils can be detrimental to both soil microorganisms and public health. However, the effects of HMs and TPHs on microbes as well as the consequent microbial-derived health risk remains unclear in soils by local roads where citizens are clearly accessible to traffic-derived pollutants. Herein, we sampled 84 roadside soils throughout Shanghai.

Insights into forsythia honeysuckle (Lianhuaqingwen) capsules: A Chinese herbal medicine repurposed for COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: In December 2019, a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 caused a series of acute atypical respiratory diseases worldwide. However, there is still a lack of drugs with clear curative effects, and the clinical trial research of vaccines has not been completely finished.

Purpose: LH capsules are approved TCM patent medicine that are widely used for the treatment of respiratory tract infectious diseases caused by colds and flu.