Different nitrogen saturation thresholds for above-, below-, and total net primary productivity in a temperate steppe.

Identifying the thresholds for the positive responses of total net primary productivity (NPP) to nitrogen (N) enrichment is an essential prerequisite for predicting the benefits of N deposition on ecosystem carbon sequestration. However, the responses of below-ground NPP (BNPP) to N enrichment are unknown in many ecosystems, which limits our ability to understand the carbon cycling under the scenario of increasing N availability. We examined the changes in above-ground NPP (ANPP), BNPP, and NPP of a temperate meadow steppe across a wide-ranging N addition gradient (0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 g N m  year ) during 5 years.

Loss of DJ-1 function contributes to Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in mice via RACK1-mediated PKC activation and MAO-B upregulation.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative motor disorder characterized by a dramatic reduction in pars compacta of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons and striatal dopamine (DA) levels. Mutations or deletions in the PARK7/DJ-1 gene are associated with an early-onset familial form of PD. DJ-1 protein prevents neurodegeneration via its regulation of oxidative stress and mitochondrial function as well as its roles in transcription and signal transduction.

Mass spectrometry imaging: new eyes on natural products for drug research and development.

Natural products (NPs) and their structural analogs represent a major source of novel drug development for disease prevention and treatment. The development of new drugs from NPs includes two crucial aspects. One is the discovery of NPs from medicinal plants/microorganisms, and the other is the evaluation of the NPs in vivo at various physiological and pathological states.

Decoupled responses of above- and below-ground stability of productivity to nitrogen addition at the local and larger spatial scale.

Temporal stability of net primary productivity (NPP) is important for predicting the reliable provisioning of ecosystem services under global changes. Although nitrogen (N) addition is known to affect the temporal stability of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), it is unclear how it impacts that of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) and NPP, and whether such effects are scale dependent. Here, using experimental N addition in a grassland, we found different responses of ANPP and BNPP stability to N addition at the local scale and that these responses propagated to the larger spatial scale.

Elucidating the estrogen-like effects and biocompatibility of the herbal components in the Qing' E formula.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Qing' E Formula (QEF) is a compound preparation that was originally recorded in the 'Prescriptions of the Bureau of Taiping People's Welfare Pharmacy' during the Song Dynasty (10th century CE). It consists of four Chinese medicinal herbs, Eucommiae Cortex (Eucommia ulmoides), Psoraleae Fructus (Psoralea corylifolium), Juglandis Semen (Juglans regia), and Garlic Rhizoma. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), QEF has the ability to tonify the kidney and strengthen muscle and bone.

Joint Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identified 49 Novel Loci For Age at Natural Menopause.

Background: Age at natural menopause (ANM) is an important index for women's health. Either early or late ANM is associated with a series of adverse outcomes later in life. Despite being an inheritable trait, its genetic determinant has not yet been fully understood.

Experimental and molecular docking studies of estrogen-like and anti-osteoporosis activity of compounds in Fructus Psoraleae.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Fructus Psoraleae (FP), dry mature fruits of Cullen corylifolium (L.) Medik., has been used clinically to treat kidney yang deficiency-induced impotence, asthma and cold pain in waist and knee caused by kidney deficiency.

Assessment of Causal Direction Between Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

Background: Recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota is closely related to the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), but the causal nature is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the causal relationship between intestinal bacteria and IBD and to identify specific pathogenic bacterial taxa via the Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Materials And Methods: MR analysis was performed on genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of gut microbiota and IBD.

Active constituents and mechanisms of Respiratory Detox Shot, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, for COVID-19 control and prevention: Network-molecular docking-LC-MS analysis.

Objective: Lung-toxin Dispelling Formula No. 1, referred to as Respiratory Detox Shot (RDS), was developed based on a classical prescription of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the theoretical understanding of herbal properties within TCM. Therapeutic benefits of using RDS for both disease control and prevention, in the effort to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have been shown.

Two novel pleiotropic loci associated with osteoporosis and abdominal obesity.

Aiming to uncover a shared genetic basis of abdominal obesity and osteoporosis, we performed a bivariate GWAS meta-analysis of femoral neck BMD (FNK-BMD) and trunk fat mass adjusted by trunk lean mass (TFM) in 11,496 subjects from 6 samples, followed by in silico replication in the large-scale UK Biobank (UKB) cohort. A series of functional investigations were conducted on the identified variants. Bivariate GWAS meta-analysis identified two novel pleiotropic loci 12q15 (lead SNP rs73134637, p = 3.

Long-time qingyan formula extract treatment exerts estrogenic activities on reproductive tissues without side effects in ovariectomized rats and via active ER to ERE-independent gene regulation.

The reproductive tissues are negatively influenced by estrogens in hormone therapy. Qingyan formula ethanol extract (QYFE)'s estrogenic effects and safety on reproductive tissues after long-term administration and its mechanism via estrogen receptor (ER) pathway haven't been studied. Here, we characterized its estrogenic effects using ovariectomized rats together with studies for further molecular characterization.

Correction to: Mowing mitigates the negative impacts of N addition on plant species diversity.

Unfortunately, the panels of (f) in Figures 1, 2, and 4.

Mowing mitigates the negative impacts of N addition on plant species diversity.

Increasing availability of reactive nitrogen (N) threatens plant diversity in diverse ecosystems. While there is mounting evidence for the negative impacts of N deposition on one component of diversity, species richness, we know little about its effects on another one, species evenness. It is suspected that ecosystem management practice that removes nitrogen from the ecosystem, such as hay-harvesting by mowing in grasslands, would mitigate the negative impacts of N deposition on plant diversity.

Incompatibility Mechanism Between and Focusing on Estrogen-Estrogen Receptor Pathway in Immature/Ovariectomized Mice.

(RPA) and (VN) . belong to the 18 incompatible medicaments and have been prohibited for thousands of years in China. Previous studies focused on the chemical constituents that induced the toxicological response of the two agents, but this study offers preliminary insight into the pharmacodynamics and mechanism on estrogenic activity, which is responsible for their incompatibility.

Radix Paeoniae Alba increases serum estrogen level and up-regulates estrogen receptor expression in uterus and vagina of immature/ovariectomized mice.

Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) is widely used in clinical treatment for gynecological diseases, particularly abnormal menstruation, menstrual pain, and breast tenderness; however, no scientific evidence base links RPA to estrogen replacement therapy. In this study, we characterize estrogenic activity of RPA using immature and ovariectomized (OVX) mice together with in vitro studies focus on estrogen receptor (ER) pathway for molecular mechanism. RPA treatments demonstrated significant estrogenic activity, as indicated by promoting the development of uterus and vagina in immature mice, reversing the atrophy of uterus and vagina in OVX mice, up-regulating the expressions of ERα and ERβ at protein and mRNA level in reproductive tissues.

Veratrum nigrum inhibits the estrogenic activity of salvia miltiorrhiza bunge in vivo and in vitro.

Background: As recorded in the 18 incompatible medicaments of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, the combined use of Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge (SM) and Veratrum nigrum (VN) could induce toxicity and has been prohibited for thousands of years in China. However, the theory has been validated due to lack of evidence. Previous studies have focused on the chemical constituents that are responsible for the toxicity of the two agents.

[Absorption mechanism of neobavaisoflavone in Caco-2 cell monolayer mode].

Neobavaisoflavone is one of flavonoids of traditional Chinese medicine Psoralea corylifolial. It has numerous biological properties such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-osteoporosis effects. This paper aimed to investigate the absorption mechanism of neobavaisoflavone in Caco-2 cell monolayer model.

Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge increases estrogen level without side effects on reproductive tissues in immature/ovariectomized mice.

Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge(SM) is a popular herb for alleviating menopausal symptoms, although the scientific evidence of applying SM to estrogen replacement therapy is limited. In this study, we characterized the estrogenic activity of SM using models of immature and ovariectomized (OVX) mice and performed studies focusing on the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway for further molecular characterizations. SM treatments demonstrated significant estrogenic activity by promoting the development of uterus and vagina in immature mice, restoring the estrus cycle and reversing the atrophy of reproductive tissues in OVX mice, as well as increasing the expressions of ERα and ERβ at protein and mRNA level in the reproductive tissues.

Chemosynthesis pathway and bioactivities comparison of saponins in radix and flower of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H.

Short-time QiBaoMeiRan Formula Treatment Exerts Estrogenic Activities without Side Effects on Reproductive Tissues in Immature Mice.

The Chinese herbal preparation QiBaoMeiRan formula (QBMR) displayed estrogenic effects in ovariectomized rats after long-term administration in a previous study. The uterus and vagina are negatively influenced by estrogens in hormone therapy. While QBMR is known to be a phytoestrogen, its estrogenic effects and safety on reproductive tissues after short-term administration and its mechanism via estrogen receptor (ER) pathway haven't been studied.

[Determination of scopolin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C in plants of Erycibe].

Objective: An accurate and reliable analytical method for-simultaneous determination of six active components (scopolin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C) in plants of Erycibe was developed.

Method: Scopolin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C in the samples were well separated in analytical HPLC by gradual elution with methanol-0.1% formic acid solution.

Treatment with Qing'E, a kidney-invigorating Chinese herbal formula, antagonizes the estrogen decline in ovariectomized mice.

A Chinese herbal preparation, Qing'E formula (QEF), has been used clinically for treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women by virtue of its kidney-invigorating function; however, no evidence base links QEF to estrogen replacement therapy. In this study, we undertake a characterization of estrogenic activity of QEF using an in vivo model of ovariectomized (OVX) mice together with in vitro studies with the MCF-7 cells for further molecular characterization. OVX mice were treated intragastrically with QEF at doses of 0.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitive activity-guided isolation of two new alkaloids from seeds of Peganum nigellastrum Bunge by an in vitro TLC- bioautographic assay.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) currently form the basis of the newest drugs available for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. For the aim of screening effective AChEIs, the methanol extracts of the seeds of genus Peganum were found to show significant inhibitory activity of acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) using an in vitro TLC-bioautographic assay. In further studies to seed of P.