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Livestock grazing may affect small mammalian herbivore-soil microbe interactions and their association with the structure and functions of the ecosystem. However, the role of factors such as vegetation and soil nutrients in regulating these impacts is not clear. Here we conducted a 9-year experiment in temperate steppe to study how Brandt’s vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) affects the soil microbial community under different livestock grazing intensities. This experiment contained 12 field enclosures with three livestock grazing intensities: control (CK), light grazing (LG), and moderate grazing (MG). We found that vole activity does not significantly change soil microbial diversity under non-grazing conditions. However, under livestock grazing conditions, vole activity led to a significant reduction in soil bacterial diversity and an increase in fungal diversity, demonstrating the impacts of livestock grazing on rodents-soil microbe interactions. The activity of voles significantly altered soil bacterial community composition, with changes primarily attributed to variations in the relative abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Proteobacteria. The soil fungal community remained relatively stable despite vole activity, which can be attributed to the richness of fungal colonies in mycelium and their low sensitivity to changes in external conditions. Vole activity also influenced soil microbial functional groups, and the variations in these groups were further amplified by livestock grazing. Furthermore, the shift in the microbial community composition and diversity induced by vole activity were mainly associated with the reduction of plant aboveground biomass. Overall, our study suggested that livestock grazing enhanced the changes in the soil microbial community induced by rodents, underscoring the importance of managing livestock grazing regimes for grassland conservation.

Abstract Objectives To investigate the outcomes of internal ureteral stents in comparison with ureteroscopy (URS) for pregnant women with urolithiasis. Data sources Relevant studies published from January 1980 to June 2022 were identified through systematic literature searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Methods of study selection A total of 499 studies were initially identified. We included pregnant women in any stages of gestation who underwent double-J (D-J) stent insertion only or ureteroscopy for the treatment of urolithiasis; for a study to be included, the number of participants needed to exceed 10. This systematic review was registered on the PROSPERO website (Reference: CRD42020195607). Results A total of 25 studies were identified with 131 cases undergoing serial stenting and 789 cases undergoing URS. The pooled operative success rate was 97% for D-J stent insertion and 99% for URS. Only a few patients passed stones spontaneously after serial D-J stenting. The pooled stone free rate (SFR) in URS operations was about 91%. For internal ureteral stent therapy, the rate of normal fertility outcomes was 99%, although the pooled incidence of complications was approximately 45%. For group receiving URS treatment, the rate of normal fertility outcome was 99% and the pooled incidence of complications was approximately 1%. However, the pooled rate of premature birth and abortion were the similar between the two groups (

Heavy rainfalls caused by global warming are increasing widespread in the future. As the second greenhouse gas, the biological processes of methane (CH4) uptake would be strongly affected by heavy rainfalls. However, how seasonal timing and plant composition affect CH4 uptake in response to heavy rainfalls is largely unknown. Here, we conducted a manipulative experiment to explore the effects of heavy rainfall imposed on middle and late growing season stage on CH4 uptake of constructed steppe communities including graminoid, shrub and their mixture in Inner Mongolia, China. The results of mixed effect model showed that both heavy rainfalls decreased CH4 uptake. Nevertheless, the effect magnitude and the pathways were varied with seasonal timing. Relatively, the late heavy rainfall had larger negative effects. Structural equation model suggested that late heavy rainfall decreased CH4 uptake through decreased diffusivity, pmoA abundance, and NH4+-N content, as products of high soil water content (SWC). However, middle heavy rainfall decreased CH4 uptake only by increasing SWC. Additionally, aboveground biomass (AGB) had negative effects on CH4 uptake under both heavy rainfalls. Additionally, plant composition not only affected CH4 uptake but also regulated CH4 uptake in response to heavy rainfalls. Late heavy rainfall had less negative effect on CH4 uptake in graminoid community than in other two communities, in coincidence with less reduction in NH4+-N content and less increase in SWC and AGB. In contrast, we did not observe obvious difference in effects of middle heavy rainfall on CH4 uptake across three communities. Our findings demonstrated that magnitude and pathways of heavy rainfall effects on CH4 uptake were strongly co-regulated by seasonal timing and plant composition.

Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (LWDHW) is a well-known Chinese herbal compound, which has been prescribed for the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We sought to clarify the potential therapeutic effects of LWDHW against GDM. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GDM were firstly identified from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to reveal the biological functions of the DEGs. Subsequently, the LWDHW-compound–target network was constructed based on public databases to identify the relationship between the active components in LWDHW and the corresponding targets. Furthermore, gene functional analysis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction were applied to investigate the function of potential targets and to evaluate hub genes. Finally, molecular docking was used to verify the binding activities between active ingredients and hub targets. Thirteen active components and 39 corresponding therapeutic target genes were obtained via network pharmacology analysis. The enrichment analysis demonstrated that the anti-GDM effect of LWDHW included oxidoreductase activity, involvement in renal system process, and regulation of blood pressure, which may be achieved through regulation of serotonergic synapses, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction pathways. Additionally, molecular docking revealed that the main active component, Mu Dan Pi, exhibited the best affinity for proteins encoded by hub genes. This study applied network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking to display the multicomponent and multitarget characteristics of LWDHW in the treatment of GDM. Our findings provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of GDM and the therapeutic mechanisms of LWDHW against GDM.