Plant composition change mediates climate drought, nitrogen addition, and grazing effects on soil net nitrogen mineralization in a semi-arid grassland in North China.

Human activities induce alterations of the nitrogen (N) cycle, climate drought, and disturbance (e.g., livestock grazing) regimes at the global scale.

Serum peptidomic screening identified circulating peptide biomarkers predictive for preeclampsia.

Background: Reliable biomarkers are needed to improve preeclampsia (PE) prediction accuracy. With the investigational tool of peptidomics, we aimed to identify and validate potential serum peptide biomarkers in cohorts suspected for PE development in middle or late pregnancy.

Methods: Totally 195 serum samples were prospectively collected from pregnant women with PE-related syndromes who were followed up for PE development until delivery.

Two Dominant Herbaceous Species Have Different Plastic Responses to N Addition in a Desert Steppe.

Nitrogen (N) deposition rates are increasing in the temperate steppe due to human activities. Understanding the plastic responses of plant dominant species to increased N deposition through the lens of multiple traits is crucial for species selection in the process of vegetation restoration. Here, we measured leaf morphological, physiological, and anatomical traits of two dominant species ( and ) after 3-year N addition (0, 1, 3, and 6 g N m year, designated N0, N1, N3, and N6, respectively) in desert steppe of Inner Mongolia.

Contrasting effects of plant inter- and intraspecific variation on community trait responses to nitrogen addition and drought in typical and meadow steppes.

Background: Inter- and intraspecific variation in plant traits play an important role in grassland community assembly under global change scenarios. However, explorations of how these variations contribute to the responses of community traits to nitrogen (N) addition and drought in different grassland types are lacking. We measured the plant height, leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf N content (LNC) and the ratio of leaf carbon (C) to leaf N (C:N) in a typical and a meadow steppe after three years of N addition, drought and their interaction.

Effects of habitat types on the dynamic changes in allocation in carbon and nitrogen storage of vegetation-soil system in sandy grasslands: How habitat types affect C and N allocation?

The progressively restoration of degraded vegetation in semiarid and arid desertified areas undoubtedly formed different habitat types. The most plants regulate their growth by fixing carbon with their energy deriving from photosynthesis; carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) play the crucial role in regulating plant growth, community structure, and function in the vegetation restoration progress. However, it is still unclear how habitat types affect the dynamic changes in allocation in C and N storage of vegetation-soil system in sandy grasslands.

Groundwater Depths Affect Phosphorus and Potassium Resorption but Not Their Utilization in a Desert Phreatophyte in Its Hyper-Arid Environment.

Nutrients are vital for plant subsistence and growth in nutrient-poor and arid ecosystems. The deep roots of phreatophytic plants are necessary to access groundwater, which is the major source of nutrients for phreatophytes in an arid desert ecosystem. However, the mechanisms through which changes in groundwater depth affect nutrient cycles of phreatophytic plants are still poorly understood.

Predictive values of various serum biomarkers in women with suspected preeclampsia: A prospective study.

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) prediction has been shown to improve the maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy. We aimed to evaluate the PE prediction values of a series of serum biomarkers.

Methods: The singleton pregnant women (20-36 gestational weeks) with PE-related clinical and/or laboratory presentations were recruited and had the blood drawn at their first visits.

Increased Precipitation Shapes Relationship between Biochemical and Functional Traits of in Grass-Dominated Rather than Shrub-Dominated Community in a Desert Steppe.

Understanding the effects of precipitation variations on plant biochemical and functional traits is crucial to predict plant adaptation to future climate changes. The dominant species, , plays an important role in maintaining the structure and function of plant communities in the desert steppe, Inner Mongolia. However, little is known about how altered precipitation affects biochemical and functional traits of in different communities in the desert steppe.

Association between HLA-A gene polymorphism and early-onset preeclampsia in Chinese pregnant women early-onset.

Background: Preeclampsia is an idiopathic disease during pregnancy. This study explores the correlation between HLA-A polymorphism and the onset of preeclampsia.

Methods: The Illumina HiSeq2500 sequencing platform was used to genotyping HLA-A allele in venous blood DNA of 50 preeclampsia pregnant women and 48 normal pregnant women and umbilical cord blood DNA of their children of Han nationality in China.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of down syndrome biomarkers in maternal serum using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ).

Prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS) is based on calculated risk involving maternal age, biochemical and ultrasonographic markers, and, more recently, cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The present study was designed to identify Down Syndrome biomarkers in maternal serum. We quantified the changes in maternal serum protein levels between 10 non-pregnant women, 10 pregnant women with healthy fetuses, and 10 pregnant women with DS fetuses using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ).

miR-126a-3p induces proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblast cells in pre-eclampsia-like rats by inhibiting A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 9.

The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of miR-126a-3p in the proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblast cells in pre-eclampsia-like rats by targeting A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 9 (ADAM9). First, the interaction between miR-126a-3p and ADAM9 was confirmed via biochemical assays. Placental tissues and trophoblast cells were then obtained.

The Urinary Peptidome as a Noninvasive Biomarker Development Strategy for Prenatal Screening of Down's Syndrome.

Prenatal screening for Down's syndrome based on maternal age, ultrasound measures, and maternal serum biomarkers is recommended worldwide, but the false-positive rate and poor diagnostic performance of these screening tests remain problematic. Genetic analysis of cell-free DNA in maternal blood has been developed as a new prenatal screening for Down's syndrome, but it has a number of limitations, including turnaround time and cost. Prenatal screening diagnostic innovation calls for new tests that are noninvasive, accurate, and affordable.

CALD1, CNN1, and TAGLN identified as potential prognostic molecular markers of bladder cancer by bioinformatics analysis.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms in the genitourinary tract. We employed the GSE13507 data set from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database in order to identify key genes related to tumorigenesis, progression, and prognosis in BC patients.

Methods: The data set used in this study included 10 normal bladder mucosae tissue samples and 165 primary BC tissue samples.

Microwave-Assisted Rapid Synthesis of Graphene-Supported Single Atomic Metals.

Graphene-supported single atomic metals (G-SAMs) have recently attracted considerable research interest for their intriguing catalytic, electronic, and magnetic properties. The development of effective synthetic methodologies toward G-SAMs with monodispersed metal atoms is vital for exploring their fundamental properties and potential applications. A convenient, rapid, and general strategy to synthesize a series of monodispersed atomic transition metals (for example, Co, Ni, Cu) embedded in nitrogen-doped graphene by two-second microwave (MW) heating the mixture of amine-functionalized graphene oxide and metal salts is reported here.

[Characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genome in the gobies].

The vast number of species, small size and high variation of morphology make the morphological identification and classification of gobies very difficult. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of 26 species of gobies was analyzed, aiming at accumulating the molecular information on the identification, classification and molecular evolution of gobies. The results showed that the gene composition and arrangement of mitogenome of gobies are similar to most vertebrates.

Mitochondrial genome of Cryptocentrus yatsui (Perciformes, Gobioidei) and phylogenetic consideration within the genus Cryptocentrus.

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Cryptocentrus yatsui was first determined. The genome was 16,584 bp in length and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 2 main noncoding regions (the control region and the origin of the light strand replication), the gene composition and order of which were similar to most other vertebrates. The overall base composition values of the heavy strand are 26.

Mitochondrial genome of the Luciogobius platycephalus (Perciformes, Gobioidei).

In this paper, the complete mitochondrial genome of Luciogobius platycephalus was first determined. The genome is 16,478 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 2 main non-coding regions (the control region and the origin of the light-strand replication). The overall base composition of L.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Asian freshwater goby Synechogobius ommaturus (Perciformes, Gobioidei).

The Asian freshwater goby, Synechogobius ommaturus (Perciformes, Gobiidae) is a big goby inhabiting shallow sandy-muddy bottoms in temperate riverine estuaries and inner bays, mainly distributed in China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. In this paper, the complete mitochondrial genome of S. ommaturus was firstly determined.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the striped sandgoby Acentrogobius pflaumii (Perciformes, gobiidae).

The striped sandgoby, Acentrogobius pflaumii (Perciformes, Gobiidae), is a widespread goby inhabiting shallow sandy-muddy bottoms in temperate riverine estuaries and inner bays. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of A. pflaumii was firstly determined.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Trypauchen vagina (Perciformes, Gobioidei).

The complete mitochondrial genome of Trypauchen vagina was determined first. The genome is 16,686 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 2 main non-coding regions [the control region (CR) and the origin of the light strand replication], the gene composition and order of which was similar to most other vertebrates. The overall base composition of T.