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Abstract Background It is challenging to improve the effects of chemotherapy and reduce its adverse impact on the ovaries. Our previous study suggested that the combination of galaxamide could enhance the antitumor effect of cisplatin (CIS) in HeLa cell xenograft mice. However, their potential effects on ovarian tissues remain unknown. Methods The Hela tumor-bearing female BALB/c mice model was established and randomly divided into three groups: control group (PBS group), CIS group (0.3 mg/kg CIS group) and galaxamide group (0.3 mg/kg CIS + 3 mg/kg galaxamide-treated group). The serum sex hormones levels, ovarian morphology, functional and molecular characterisation were determined and compared with those of the control group. Results The hormonal effects indicated premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) associated with CIS-induced tumor-bearing mice. CIS induces the apoptosis in primordial and developing follicles and subsequently increases follicular atresia, eventually leading to follicle loss. After cotreatment, galaxamide significantly increased anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) expression and prevented the CIS-induced PI3K pathway, which triggers follicle activation, apoptosis or atresia. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that galaxamide could attenuate CIS-induced follicle loss by acting on the PI3K signaling pathway by stimulating AMH and/or FSHR and thus provides promising therapeutic options for patients with cervical cancer.

Abstract Electrochemical carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide reduction reaction offers a promising route to synthesize fuels and value-added chemicals, unfortunately their activities and selectivities remain unsatisfactory. Here, we present a general surface molecular tuning strategy by modifying Cu2O with a molecular pyridine-derivative. The surface modified Cu2O nanocubes by 4-mercaptopyridine display a high Faradaic efficiency of greater than 60% in electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction reaction to acetate with a current density as large as 380 mA/cm2 in a liquid electrolyte flow cell. In-situ attenuated total reflectance surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy reveals stronger *CO signal with bridge configuration and stronger *OCCHO signal over modified Cu2O nanocubes by 4-mercaptopyridine than unmodified Cu2O nanocubes during electrochemical CO reduction. Density function theory calculations disclose that local molecular tuning can effectively regulate the electronic structure of copper catalyst, enhancing *CO and *CHO intermediates adsorption by the stabilization effect through hydrogen bonding, which can greatly promote asymmetric *CO-*CHO coupling in electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction reaction.

Clonal plants are widely distributed in the riparian zone and play a very important role in the maintenance of wetland ecosystem function. Flooding is an environmental stress for plants in the riparian zone, and the response of plants varies according to the depth and duration of flooding. However, there is a lack of research on the growth response of clonal plants during flooding, and the endogenous hormone response mechanism of clonal plants is still unclear. In the present study, Alternanthera philoxeroides, a clonal plant in the riparian zone, was used to investigate the time-dependent stem elongation, the elongation of different part of the immature internodes, and the relationship between growth elongation and the phytohormone gibberellin (GA) under a series of submergence depths (0 m, 2 m, 5 m, and 9 m). The results showed that stem elongation occurred under all treatments, however, compared to 0 m (control), plants grew more under 2 m and 5 m submergence depth, while grew less under 9 m water depth. Additionally, basal part elongation of the immature internode was the predominant factor contributing to the stem growth of A. philoxeroides under different submergence depths. The phytohormone contents in basal part of the mature and immature internodes showed that GA induced the differential elongation of internode. Plant submerged at depth of 2 m had the highest GA accumulation, but plant submerged at depth of 9 m had the lowest GA concentration. These data suggested that GA biosynthesis are essential for stem elongation in A. philoxeroides, and the basal part of the immature internode was the main position of the GA biosynthesis. This study provided new information about the rapid growth and invasion of the clonal plant A. philoxeroides around the world, further clarified the effects of submergence depth and duration on the elongation of the stem, and deepened our understanding of the growth response of terrestrial plants in deeply flooded environments.

Cnidarians are among the most important diploblastic organisms, elucidating many of the early stages of Metazoan evolution. However, Cnidarian fossils from Cambrian deposits have been rarely documented, mainly due to difficulties in identifying early Cnidarian representatives. Halysites, a tabulate coral from Silurian reef systems, serves as a crucial taxon for interpreting Cambrian cnidarians. Traditionally, the biological characteristics of Halysites have been analyzed using methods limited by pretreatment requirements (destructive testing) and the chamber size capacity of relevant analytical instruments. These constraints often lead to irreversible information loss and inadequate data extraction. This means that, to date, there has been no high-resolution three-dimensional mineralization analysis of Halysites. This study aims to introduce novel, non-destructive techniques to analyze the internal structure and chemical composition of Halysites. Furthermore, it seeks to elucidate the relationship between coral organisms and biomineralization in reef settings and to compare Silurian Tabulata with putative Cambrian cnidarians. Techniques such as micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (micro-XRF), micro-X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed in this research. With the help of high-resolution micro-CT scanning, we identify the growth pattern of Halysites, showing both lateral and vertical development. The lateral multiple-branching growth pattern of Halysites corals is first established herein. The flaggy corallite at the initial stage of branching is also observed. The micro-XRF mapping results reveal the occurrence of septa spines for Halysites, a trait previously thought rare or absent. Additionally, the ratio of coral volume to the surrounding rock was assessed, revealing that Halysites reefs were relatively sparse (volume ratio = ~30%). The cavities between Halysites likely provided more space for other organisms (e.g., rugose corals and bryozoans) when compared to other coral reef types. Additionally, we provide a comparative analysis of post-Cambrian colonial calcareous skeletons, offering insights into the structural features and growth patterns of early skeletal metazoans across the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary.

Complete submergence, especially deep submergence, poses a serious threat to the growth and survival of plants. One study previously showed that Alternanthera philoxeroides (a herbaceous perennial plant) submerged at depth of 2 m presented fast stem elongation and reduced stem elongation as water depth increased. In the present study, we aimed to figure out from the morphological and anatomical perspective how the differential growth response of the plant to water depth was achieved. We investigated the elongation of different stem parts and the relationship of stem elongation to cell size and number in A. philoxeroides by conducting experiments using a series of submergence depths (0 m, 2 m, 5 m, and 9 m). The results showed that, in comparison with unsubmerged plants, completely submerged plants exhibited enhanced elongation at depths of 2 m and 5 m but suppressed elongation at depth of 9 m in immature stem internodes, and displayed very little elongation in mature stem internodes at any depths. The stem growth of A. philoxeroides at any submergence depth was chiefly caused by the elongation of the basal parts of immature internodes. The elongation of the basal parts of immature internodes was highly correlated to both cell proliferation and cell enlargement, but the elongation of the middle and upper parts of immature internodes correlated nearly only with cell enlargement. This study provided new information on the growth responses of A. philoxeroides to heterogeneous submergence environments and deepened our understanding of the growth performance of terrestrial plants in habitats prone to deep floods.