Historical record of trace elements since MIS 2 in a sediment core of Laizhou Bay, China.

The concentration of trace elements in sediments is a critical element in the quality of nearshore environments. Geochemical background values are the normal concentrations of trace elements in the natural environment, and the use of different background values has resulted in different evaluations. Trace element (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg) concentration profiles along a sediment core were investigated to obtain background values and to assess the depositional processes and contamination levels in Laizhou Bay.

Ultrasonic-assisted MoS/GO/TiO ceramic coatings: Enhancing anti-friction performance through dual-interface optimization.

Ceramic coatings containing two-dimensional materials (2D materials) provide effective protection for light alloys during wear, significantly improving their anti-friction performance. MoS has proven highly effective in enhancing the anti-friction performance of ceramic coatings, particularly when synthesized via plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). However, dislocation pinning due to the incoherent interfaces in MoS/TiO coatings tends to cause localized stress concentrations and brittle fracture, requiring effectively improve nanomechanical properties by optimizing interface design.

Correlation between newborn weight and serum BCAAs in pregnant women with diabetes.

Background: Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are essential amino acids for mammals. Maternal BCAAs during pregnancy have been associated with newborn development. Meanwhile, BCAAs have been tightly linked with insulin resistance and diabetes in recent years.

Occurrence and seasonal variations of antibiotic micro-pollutants in the Wei River, China.

In this study, a systematic monitoring campaign of 30 antibiotics belonging to tetracyclines (TCs), macrolides (MLs), fluoroquinolones (FQs) and sulfonamides (SAs) was performed in the Xi'an section of the Wei River during three sampling events (December 2021, June 2022, and September 2022). The total concentrations of antibiotics in water ranged from 297 to 461 ng/L with high detection frequencies ranging from 45% to 100% for the various antibiotics. A marked seasonal variation in concentrations was found with total antibiotic concentrations in winter being 1.

Liraglutide Improves PCOS Symptoms in Rats by Targeting FDX1.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a gynecological endocrine disorder characterized by ovulatory disorders, hyperandrogenemia, and polycystic changes in the ovaries. FDX1 is a ferredoxin-reducing protein on human mitochondria that plays an important role in steroid anabolism. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for PCOS.

Temporal variation and pollution status of heavy metals in core sediments from Jiangsu intertidal area, China.

Eight heavy metal concentrations were analyzed from a 60.35-m-long sediment core in the Jiangsu intertidal area, China. Based on the lithofacies characteristics, mean grain size, downcore distributions of elements, and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) data, the sediments in the core were divided into three units that formed during marine isotope stages 4 (MIS 4), MIS 3, and MIS 1.

gene family in passion fruit (): initial characterization and expression profiling diversity.

Passion fruit, an economically valuable fruit crop, is highly vulnerable to adverse climate conditions. The genes, recognized as abscisic acid (ABA) and stress-inducible, play vital roles in stress response and growth regulation in diverse eukaryotic organisms. Here, six genes were firstly identified in passion fruit genome and all predicted to be localized within the endoplasmic reticulum.

Downregulation of BRD4 attenuates high glucose-induced damage of trophoblast cells by inhibiting activation of AKT/mTOR pathway.

It was elucidated that bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) has involvement with diabetic complication. However, the role and molecular mechanism of BRD4 in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are still unclear. In this study, the mRNA and protein contents of BRD4 in placenta tissues of GDM patients and high glucose (HG)-induced HTR8/SVneo cells were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot assay.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of LBD Transcription Factor Genes in Passion Fruit ().

The lateral organ boundary domain () gene is a plant-specific transcription factor that plays a crucial role in plant growth and development, including the development of lateral vegetative organs such as leaf and root development, as well as floral organs such as sepal, petal, and pollen development. Passion fruit is a tropical fruit with important agricultural, economic and ornamental value. However, there is no systematic research report available on the gene family of passion fruit.

Identification and evaluation of the novel genes for transcript normalization during female gametophyte development in sugarcane.

Background: Sugarcane ( L.), the major sugar and biofuel feedstock crop, is cultivated mainly by vegetative propagation worldwide due to the infertility of female reproductive organs resulting in the reduction of quality and output of sugar. Deciphering the gene expression profile during ovule development will improve our understanding of the complications underlying sexual reproduction in sugarcane.

Characterization of germline development and identification of genes associated with germline specification in pineapple.

Understanding germline specification in plants could be advantageous for agricultural applications. In recent decades, substantial efforts have been made to understand germline specification in several plant species, including Arabidopsis, rice, and maize. However, our knowledge of germline specification in many agronomically important plant species remains obscure.

High-throughput single-cell transcriptomics reveals the female germline differentiation trajectory in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Female germline cells in flowering plants differentiate from somatic cells to produce specialized reproductive organs, called ovules, embedded deep inside the flowers. We investigated the molecular basis of this distinctive developmental program by performing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of 16,872 single cells of Arabidopsis thaliana ovule primordia at three developmental time points during female germline differentiation. This allowed us to identify the characteristic expression patterns of the main cell types, including the female germline and its surrounding nucellus.

Genome-Wide Investigation of Family Genes in Pineapple and Functional Analysis of AcoSBT1.12 in Floral Transition.

SBT (Subtilisin-like serine protease), a clan of serine proteolytic enzymes, plays a versatile role in plant growth and defense. Although family genes have been obtained from studies of dicots such as Arabidopsis, little is known about the potential functions of SBT in the monocots. In this study, 54 pineapple genes (s) were divided into six subfamilies and then identified to be experienced strong purifying selective pressure and distributed on 25 chromosomes unevenly.

RETRACTED: Diagnosis of Early Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction by Layer-Specific Strain Echocardiography in Diabetic Rabbits.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

Regulation of Female Germline Specification via Small RNA Mobility in Arabidopsis.

In the ovules of most sexually reproducing plants, one hypodermal cell differentiates into a megaspore mother cell (MMC), which gives rise to the female germline. -acting small interfering RNAs known as tasiR-ARFs have been suggested to act non-cell-autonomously to prevent the formation of multiple MMCs by repressing () expression in Arabidopsis (), but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we examined tasiR-ARF-related intercellular regulatory mechanisms.

ATP binding cassette transporters ABCG1 and ABCG16 affect reproductive development via auxin signalling in Arabidopsis.

Angiosperm reproductive development is a complex event that includes floral organ development, male and female gametophyte formation and interaction between the male and female reproductive organs for successful fertilization. Previous studies have revealed the redundant function of ATP binding cassette subfamily G (ABCG) transporters ABCG1 and ABCG16 in pollen development, but whether they are involved in other reproductive processes is unknown. Here we show that ABCG1 and ABCG16 were not only expressed in anthers and stamen filaments but also enriched in pistil tissues, including the stigma, style, transmitting tract and ovule.

Interaction of tumor cells and astrocytes promotes breast cancer brain metastases through TGF-β2/ANGPTL4 axes.

Metastatic outcomes depend on the interactions of metastatic cells with a specific organ microenvironment. Our previous studies have shown that triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA-MB-231 cells passaged in astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) show proclivity to form brain metastases, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. The combination of microarray analysis, qPCR, and ELISA assay were carried out to demonstrate the ACM-induced expression of angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) in TNBC cells.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling of ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) Transporter Gene Family in Pineapple ( (L.) Merr.) Reveal the Role of in Pollen Development.

Pineapple (.) cultivation commonly relies on asexual reproduction which is easily impeded by many factors in agriculture production. Sexual reproduction might be a novel approach to improve the pineapple planting.

Effects of insulin resistance on myometrial growth.

To observe the effects of insulin resistance on gonadal steroid hormone stimulation and the myometrial growth of female rats in order to elucidate the relationship between insulin resistance and the development of uterine leiomyomas. We divided 180 nonpregnant female Wistar rats into three groups as follows: group A, as the control group; group B, as the "model by exogenous sex hormone" group; and group C, as the "model by exogenous sex hormone plus insulin-resistance" group. All the animals were raised for 16 weeks.

Enhanced natural attenuation of BTEX in the nitrate-reducing environment by different electron acceptors.

Enhancing natural attenuation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) in groundwater is a potential remediation technology. This study focused on selecting appropriate electron acceptors to promote BTEX degradation in a nitrate-reducing environment. Nitrate-reducing soil was obtained from simulated BTEX-contaminated column.