Hotspots of biogeochemical activity linked to aridity and plant traits across global drylands.

Perennial plants create productive and biodiverse hotspots, known as fertile islands, beneath their canopies. These hotspots largely determine the structure and functioning of drylands worldwide. Despite their ubiquity, the factors controlling fertile islands under conditions of contrasting grazing by livestock, the most prevalent land use in drylands, remain virtually unknown.

Grazing and ecosystem service delivery in global drylands.

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil, and biodiversity are critical to explain the delivery of fundamental ecosystem services across drylands worldwide.

Iranian Registry of Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophies: Characterization and Preliminary Data.

Duchenne (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophies (BMD) are rare neuromuscular disorders caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene and failure in its protein production. The absence or the reduced expression of dystrophin render muscles prone to damage, including the cardiac and respiratory muscles with reduced life expectancy. Careful planning for clinical trials will require a sufficient number of confirmed cases to meet the inclusion criteria.

The activation of RAW264.7 murine macrophage and natural killer cells by glucomannogalactan polysaccharides from Tornabea scutellifera.

A water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from Tornabea scutellifera and fractionated using a DAEA Sepharose FF column to evaluate its capacity to stimulate natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. Neutral sugars (71.8-93.