Search

Goji berries (Lycium barbarum L.), widely planted in arid to semi-arid regions, are a functional resource characterized by a homology of medicine and food. Changing extensive water and fertilizer management practices to drip fertigation is one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve the sustainable development of the Goji berry industry. This study explores the effects of different fertilizer combinations on the soil organic carbon pool and L. barbarum yield under drip fertigation in Ningxia, northwestern China. A two-year field experiment (2017–2019) was conducted using different levels of drip nitrogen (40, 60, and 80 mg L−1) and phosphorus (10, 20, and 30 mg L−1) fertigation. Compared with traditional manual fertilization (control), soil organic carbon contents in the 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm layers increased by 33.6–144.4, 39.6–136.8, and 14.0–73.6%, respectively, across all fertigation treatments. With increasing levels of fertigation, the easily oxidizable organic carbon content increased most prominently in the 0–20 cm soil layer and reached the highest value (538 mg kg−1) under treatment with 60 mg L−1 nitrogen plus 10 mg L−1 phosphorus. The microbial biomass carbon contents in the 20–60 cm soil layer was markedly higher under treatment with 60 mg L−1 nitrogen plus 30 mg L−1 phosphorus compared with other treatments. Fertigation increased the soil carbon pool management index and L. barbarum yield. The highest two-year average yield (13,890 kg ha−1) was obtained under treatment with 60 mg L−1 nitrogen plus 30 mg L−1 phosphorus. These findings suggest that drip fertigation with 60 mg L−1 nitrogen plus 30 mg L−1 phosphorus is the optimal practice for carbon sequestration and sustainable production of L. barbarum in arid regions.

Additional file 1: Table 1. Rat grouping. Table 2. Information of antibodies. Table 3. Primer sequences for RT-qPCR. Table 4. Primer sequences for ChIP assay. Table 5. Primer sequences for MSP assay.

Electrochemical 2-electrons oxygen reduction process has been regarded as the effective strategy for H2O2 generation in wastewater treatment. However, its large-scale application is still limited by the relatively high cost of the carbon materials and short-term stability. In this study, a nitric acid modified graphite/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite cathode with exterior hydrophobic film was fabricated for cost-effective electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Experimental results show that 2 M HNO3 modification rendered the introduction of much more defect sites and oxygen/nitrogen-containing groups on graphite. As a result, H2O2 electrogeneration was 3.0 times as much as that of virgin graphite counterpart at 3 mA cm−2. Moreover, the additional introduction of exterior hydrophobic film on the as-prepared graphite/PTFE cathode did not only further promote H2O2 electrogeneration, but also endowed the cathode with strong hydrophobic stability. As for the modified cathode with exterior hydrophobic film, the influence of mass graphite/PTFE binder ratio (1:1–4:1) and pH (3.0–9.0) on H2O2 electrogeneration was slight, but the current density (3.0–15 mA cm−2) had evident effect on H2O2 electrogeneration. Generally, owing to its low price and being easily available, the modified graphite would be cost-effectively utilized to prepare the gas diffusion cathode for the large-scale electrogeneration of H2O2 in industry.

Ke Chen,1 Xinxing Wan,1 Liling Zhao,1 Shaoli Zhao,1 Lin Peng,2 Wenjun Yang,1 Jingjing Yuan,1 Liyong Zhu,3 Zhaohui Mo1 1Department of Endocrinology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nephrology, The First Hospital of Changsha, Changsha, Hunan 410005, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of General Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhaohui Mo Tel/Fax +86 731 88618006Email easd04mzh@126.comBackground: Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL) is a rare disease showing chronic progression of multiple, symmetrical, and non-encapsulated subcutaneous lipoma. The cause of the disease remains unknown.Patients and Methods: This study reported and summarized 13 sporadic cases of Type I MSL patients in terms of histopathology and cellular and molecular biology and assessed the CBLB c.197A>T mutation in the IRS1-PI3K-Akt pathway.Results: The clinical data showed that these 13 Type I patients were all male with a mean age of 57.0 ± 6.6 years old and consumed alcohol heavily. The laboratory tests revealed that most of the patients had hyperuricemia, diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, or insulin resistance; however, their blood lipid levels were close to a normal range. The imaging data exhibited lipomas that only occurred subcutaneously but not viscerally, ie, Types Ia (15.4%), Ib (30.8%), and Ic (53.8%). The molecular analyses of adipocytes of isoprenaline stimulated human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hADSCs) isolated from the adipose tissue lipoma-like masses (ATLLM) demonstrated that these adipocytes did not express UCP-1. The Cbl proto-oncogene B (CBLB), an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, was associated with insulin resistance and obesity and was mutated (ie, CBLB c.197A>T) in four MSL patients after the whole genome and Sanger sequencing of the blood samples. Furthermore, the CBLB c.197A>T mutation induced hADSC resistance to insulin by inactivation of the IRS-1-PI3K-AKT pathway.Conclusion: This study analyzed clinical, histopathological, and cellular and molecular biological characterizations of 13 Type I MSL patients and identified the CBLB c.197A>T heterozygous mutation that could be responsible for MSL metabolic dysfunction or even MSL development.Keywords: multiple symmetric lipomatosis, MSL, manifestation, characterization, CBLB

Background Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 had caused a global pandemic. According to incomplete statistics, at least 400,000 of Chinese overseas students were now staying abroad during the COVID-19 epidemic. Under the condition of extensive isolation, the social support system was also impacted, all this will lead to various kinds of psychological problems. However, there are no studies on the psychological problems of Chinese overseas students during the epidemic at home and abroad. ObjectivesTo investigate the mental health status and its risk factors among Chinese overseas students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey based on structured questionnaire through various social platforms (WeChat, QQ, etc.). The contents of the structured questionnaire included: demographic characteristics, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) and 15-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15). Results ① The incidence rates of depression, anxiety and physical symptoms were 60.3%, 53.2% and 83.3%, respectively. ② There were significant statistical differences in the incidence rates of depression, anxiety and physical symptoms between different genders (depression: x2= 148.94, P=0.000; anxiety: x2=129.45, P=0.000; physical symptoms: x2=62.73, P=0.000). Significant statistical differences were also found in the incidence rates of depression and anxiety among different education levels (depression: x2=10.82, P=0.013; anxiety: x2=9.09, P=0.028). Additionally, there were significant statistical differences in the incidence rates of depression (x2=12.77, P=0.005) among different ages, and time of daily attention to epidemic-related information were closely associated with physical symptoms (x2=12.14, P=0.007). ③Logistic regression analysis showed that the female have a higher risk of developing depression [OR=0.017, 95% CI: 0.008~0.037, P=0.000], anxiety [OR=0.024, 95% CI: 0.011~0.051, P=0.000] and physical symptoms [OR=0.018, 95%CI: 0.004~0.078, P=0.000], and time of daily attention to epidemic-related information was positively associated with the level of physical symptoms [OR=0.610, 95% CI: 0.415~0.895, P=0.012]. Conclusion During the COVID-19 epidemic, Chinese overseas students were highly susceptible to a series of psychological and mental problems, including depression, anxiety and physical symptoms, and have a relatively higher risk than other populations. The purpose of this study is to call on relevant departments to pay attention to the psychological problems of this special group and propose effective prevention and control measures to ensure the mental health of the masses during the epidemic and promote the scientific development of mental health work.