Emerging threat of marine microplastics: Cigarette butt contamination on Yellow Sea beaches and the potential toxicity risks to rotifer growth and reproduction.

Cigarette butts have become one of the most common and persistent forms of debris in marine coastal areas, where they pose significant toxicity risks. This study investigated cigarette butt pollution along beaches of the Yellow Sea and used laboratory experiments to assess the toxicity of their leachate and fibers on the euryhaline rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. A pollution index confirmed pollution by this debris across all eight beaches surveyed, where the density of cigarette butts averaged 0.

Geographic origin shapes the adaptive divergences of (Rotifera, Bdelloidea) to thermal stress: Insights from ecology and transcriptomics.

Global warming has raised concerns regarding the potential impact on aquatic biosafety and health. To illuminate the adaptive mechanisms of bdelloid rotifers in response to global warming, the ecological and transcriptomic characteristics of two strains (HX and ZJ) of were investigated at 25°C and 35°C. Our results showed an obvious genetic divergence between the two geographic populations.

Temporal Distribution Patterns of Cryptic (Rotifera) Species in Relation to Biogeographical Gradient Associated with Latitude.

Sympatric distribution and temporal overlap of cryptic zooplankton species pose a challenge to the framework of the niche differentiation theory and the mechanisms allowing competitor coexistence. We applied the methods of phylogenetic analysis, DNA taxonomy, and statistical analysis to study the temporal distribution patterns of the cryptic species, an excellent model, in three lakes, and to explore the putative mechanisms for their seasonal succession and temporal overlap. The results showed that in the warm-temperate Lake Yunlong, .

Nasal delivery of polymeric nanoDisc mobilizes a synergy of central and peripheral amyloid-β clearance to treat Alzheimer's disease.

The disequilibrium of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) between the central and peripheral pools has been claimed as an initiating event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we employ discoidal high-density lipoproteins (HDL-Disc) mimicking Aβ antibody for directional flux of Aβ from central to peripheral catabolism, with desirable safety and translation potential. Structurally, HDL-Disc assembly (polyDisc) is prepared with aid of chitosan derivative polymerization.

Multi-omics research on common allergens during the ripening of pollen and poplar flocs of .

Background: is widely cultivated in China and produces a large number of pollen and poplar flocs from March to June per year. Previous studies have found that the pollen of contains allergens. However, studies on the ripening mechanism of pollen/poplar flocs and their common allergens are very limited.

The elevated toxicity of the biodegradation product (guanylurea) from metformin and the antagonistic pattern recognition of combined toxicity: Insight from the pharmaceutical risk assessment and the simulated wastewater treatment.

The emerging contaminants metformin (MET) and its degradation product guanylurea (GUA) are released into aquatic environments through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Thus, the environmental risks of wastewater with more treatments may be underestimated due to the lower effect concentration of GUA and the higher detected concentration of GUA in treated wastewater in comparison with MET. In this study, we aimed to investigate the combined toxicity mode of MET and GUA to Brachionus calyciflorus by simulating the degrees of wastewater treatments through adjustments to the ratio of MET and GUA in medium.

The Effects of Intraguild Predation on Phytoplankton Assemblage Composition and Diversity: A Mesocosm Experiment.

Intraguild predation (IGP) can have a significant impact on phytoplankton biomass, but its effects on their diversity and assemblage composition are not well understood. In this study, we constructed an IGP model based on the common three-trophic food chain of "fish (or shrimp)-large branchiopods ()-phytoplankton", and investigated the effects of IGP on phytoplankton assemblage composition and diversity in outdoor mesocosms using environmental DNA high-throughput sequencing. Our results indicated that the alpha diversities (number of amplicon sequence variants and Faith's phylogenetic diversity) of phytoplankton and the relative abundance of Chlorophyceae increased with the addition of , while similar trends were found in alpha diversities but with a decrease in the relative abundance of Chlorophyceae in the treatment.

Evolution Under Dietary Restriction Increases Reproduction at the Cost of Decreased Somatic Growth.

Dietary restriction (DR) is cited as the most reliable means of extending life span in a wide range of taxa, yet the evolutionary basis of the DR effect on life span remains unclear. The resource reallocation hypothesis proposes that the longevity-extending response of DR is adaptive and stems from the reallocation of resources from reproduction to somatic maintenance under food-limited conditions. However, if DR continues for multiple generations, such a response becomes maladaptive, and genotypes with higher fecundity should be selectively favored over genotypes with longer longevity.

Toxicity enhancement of nano titanium dioxide to Brachionus calyciflorus (Rotifera) under simulated sunlight and the underlying mechanisms.

Nano titanium dioxide (nTiO) generally shows low toxicity to organisms under light-emitting diode (LED) light. However, nTiO can induce production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultraviolet (UV) light due to its photocatalytic activity. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect the enhancement of nTiO toxicity under sunlight.

Inhibitory Effects of Antipsychotic Chlorpromazine on the Survival, Reproduction and Population Growth Other Than Neurotransmitters of Zooplankton in Light of Global Warming.

Global warming and environmental pollution have created a unique combination of abiotic and biotic stresses to zooplankton. However, little information is available on the effects of antipsychotic drugs commonly used to treat psychosis, such as chlorpromazine (CPZ), on non-target aquatic organisms in light of global warming. This study investigated how dopamine concentrations (DAC), acute toxicity and chronic toxicity of Brachionus calyciflorus changed in response to CPZ and gradually increasing temperatures.

The Relationship between -Associated Bacterial and Bacterioplankton Communities in a Subtropical Freshwater Lake.

Zooplankton bodies are organic-rich micro-environments that support fast bacterial growth. Therefore, the abundance of zooplankton-associated bacteria is much higher than that of free-living bacteria, which has profound effects on the nutrient cycling of freshwater ecosystems. However, a detailed analysis of associated bacteria is still less known, especially the relationship between those bacteria and bacterioplankton.

Combined Effects of Warming and Imidacloprid on Survival, Reproduction and Population Growth of Brachionus calyciflorus (Rotifera).

Global warming and pesticide contamination are two stressors of high concern, but their combined effects on freshwater biota are controversial. This study investigated the combined effects of warming and imidacloprid (IMI) on survival (measured as life expectancy at hatching), reproduction (net reproductive rate), population growth (intrinsic rate of population increase) and sexual reproduction (proportion of sexual offspring) of Brachionus calyciflorus using a life table experiment. The results showed that compared with controls, treatments with IMI at 50-100 mg/L significantly decreased survival, reproduction and population growth of the rotifers at 20℃.

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification effects of nano-TiO in the aquatic food chain.

The increasing production of nano-TiO has attracted extensive concerns about the ecological consequence and health risk of these compounds in natural ecosystem. However, little is known about its toxicity on zooplankton, especially its possibility to access to the food chain via dietary exposure. To address this concern, the toxic and cumulative effects of nano-TiO on an aquatic food chain were explored through two trophic levels independently or jointly including producer and consumer.

Effect of chloramphenicol on the life table demography of Brachionus calyciflorus (Rotifera): A multigenerational study.

During the last two decades, there has been increasing concerns about the presence of antibiotics in aquatic environments. Phenicol antibiotics, such as chloramphenicol (CMP), commonly used in the veterinary and aquaculture fields to treat infections, have been often detected in aquatic environments, but scarce ecotoxicity information regarding the effects of CMP on non-target aquatic organisms is available, and multigenerational studies are seldom studied. Here we quantified the demographic responses of Brachionus calyciflorus exposed to sublethal concentrations (0, 5, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90 mg L) of CMP for three successive generations (P0, F1, and F2).

Lipoprotein-Inspired Nanoscavenger for the Three-Pronged Modulation of Microglia-Derived Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease Therapy.

The inflammatory dysfunction of microglia from excess amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) disposal is an overlooked but pathogenic event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we exploit a native high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-inspired nanoscavenger (pHDL/Cur-siBACE1) that combines the trinity of phosphatidic acid-functionalized HDL (pHDL), curcumin (Cur), and β-site APP cleavage enzyme 1 targeted siRNA (siBACE1) to modulate microglial dysfunction. By mimicking the natural lipoprotein transport route, pHDL can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and sequentially target Aβ plaque, where Aβ catabolism is accelerated without microglial dysfunction.

Versatile nanomaterials for Alzheimer's disease: Pathogenesis inspired disease-modifying therapy.

Current therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) face the dilemma of no effective drugs that can delay the onset or slow the disease progression. Despite tremendous effort being involved, several anti-AD drugs come into clinical trials but with a moderate-to-poor success rate due to the complex AD pathogenesis and the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Insight into the complex AD pathogenesis is enabling new inspiration that have the potential to help improve our understanding and design of anti-AD nanomedicine.

Rapid adaptation of Brachionus dorcas (Rotifera) to tetracycline antibiotic stress.

Although natural populations can rapidly adapt to selection pressures, the fitness consequences of selection are controversial. In this study, a selection experiment was conducted with replicate populations of Brachionus dorcas that were exposed to two sublethal concentrations (26.8 and 78.

Analysis of allergen components and identification of bioactivity of HSP70 in pollen of Populus deltoides.

Background: Allergies caused by pollen from Populus deltoides are common, but the allergic components are still unclear.

Methods: The total proteins in pollen of P. deltoides were analyzed by proteomics, and the potential allergens were identified via the WHO/IUIS database and the allergenOnline database retrieval.

High-density lipoprotein in Alzheimer's disease: From potential biomarkers to therapeutics.

The inverse correlation between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in vivo and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become an inspiration for HDL-inspired AD therapy, including plain HDL and various intelligent HDL-based drug delivery systems. In this review, we will focus on the two endogenous HDL subtypes in the central nervous system (CNS), apolipoprotein E-based HDL (apoE-HDL) and apolipoprotein A-I-based HDL (apoA-I-HDL), especially their influence on AD pathophysiology to reveal HDL's potential as biomarkers for risk prediction, and summarize the relevant therapeutic mechanisms to propose possible treatment strategies. We will emphasize the latest advances of HDL as therapeutics (plain HDL and HDL-based drug delivery systems) to discuss the potential for AD therapy and review innovative techniques in the preparation of HDL-based nanoplatforms to provide a basis for the rational design and future development of anti-AD drugs.

[Bioinformatics analysis, prokaryotic expression and biological activity of HSP70 domain-containing proteins derived from pollen of Populus deltoides].

Objective To study the bioinformatics characteristics of HSP70 domain proteins derived from pollen of Populus deltoides (P. deltoides), optimize the prokaryotic expression methods, and identify the biological activity of these proteins. Methods Physicochemical characteristics of three kinds of HSP70 domain-containing proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics software.

Sponge particulates for biomedical applications: Biofunctionalization, multi-drug shielding, and theranostic applications.

Sponge particulates have attracted enormous attention in biomedical applications for superior properties, including large porosity, elastic deformation, capillary action, and three-dimensional (3D) reaction environment. Especially, the tiny porous structures make sponge particulates a promising platform for drug delivery, tissue engineering, anti-infection, and wound healing by providing abundant reservoirs of broad surface and internal network for cargo shielding and shuttling. To control the sponge-like morphology and improve the diversity of drug loading, some optimized preparation techniques of sponge particulates have been developed, contributing to the simplified preparation process and improved production reproducibility.

Effects of bromate on life history parameters, swimming speed and antioxidant biomarkers in Brachionus calyciflorus.

The baking industries and disinfection of tap water released a considerable amount of bromate into surface water, which has been reported as a carcinogenic compound to mammals. Rotifers play an important role in freshwater ecosystems and are model organisms to assess environmental contamination. In the present study, the effects of different concentrations (0.

Bulleyaconitine A Effectively Relieves Allergic Lung Inflammation in a Murine Asthmatic Model.

BACKGROUND Bulleyaconitine A (BLA) has been widely used as analgesic against chronic inflammatory pain in China. However, its potential therapeutic role in asthma remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of BLA on airway inflammation in mice with allergic asthma.