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Microbes inhabiting deep soil layers are known to be different from their counterpart in topsoil yet remain under investigation in terms of their structure, function, and how their diversity is shaped. The microbiome of deep soils (>1 m) is expected to be relatively stable and highly independent from climatic conditions. Much less is known, however, on how these microbial communities vary along climate gradients. Here, we used amplicon sequencing to investigate bacteria, archaea, and fungi along fifteen 18‐m depth profiles at 20–50‐cm intervals across contrasting aridity conditions in semi‐arid forest ecosystems of China's Loess Plateau. Our results showed that bacterial and fungal α diversity and bacterial and archaeal community similarity declined dramatically in topsoil and remained relatively stable in deep soil. Nevertheless, deep soil microbiome still showed the functional potential of N cycling, plant‐derived organic matter degradation, resource exchange, and water coordination. The deep soil microbiome had closer taxa–taxa and bacteria–fungi associations and more influence of dispersal limitation than topsoil microbiome. Geographic distance was more influential in deep soil bacteria and archaea than in topsoil. We further showed that aridity was negatively correlated with deep‐soil archaeal and fungal richness, archaeal community similarity, relative abundance of plant saprotroph, and bacteria–fungi associations, but increased the relative abundance of aerobic ammonia oxidation, manganese oxidation, and arbuscular mycorrhizal in the deep soils. Root depth, complexity, soil volumetric moisture, and clay play bridging roles in the indirect effects of aridity on microbes in deep soils. Our work indicates that, even microbial communities and nutrient cycling in deep soil are susceptible to changes in water availability, with consequences for understanding the sustainability of dryland ecosystems and the whole‐soil in response to aridification. Moreover, we propose that neglecting soil depth may underestimate the role of soil moisture in dryland ecosystems under future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Deep rooted vegetation significantly leads to soil water deficit with the depth and precipitation. • Relative deep soil water deficit in artificial forest decreases with precipitation increase. • Precipitation self-regulation responses to deep soil water deficit in space. • Soil water deficit is more sensitive in the sub-shallow soil layers at a depth of 1800 cm. In semi-arid and semi-humid regions, deep soil water resources are crucial for vegetation restoration to mediate the ecosystem sustainability. Yet it is still limited on understanding soil water deficit (SWD) caused by vegetation restoration and its response to soil depth and precipitation. To obtain a more accurate measurement of regional SWD, we conducted a two-year soil water monitoring to a depth of 1800 cm under typical vegetation restoration with a precipitation gradient ranging from 300 mm/y to more than 600 mm/y across the Loess Plateau of China. With increasing precipitation gradient, soil water storages in 0–1800 cm depth under both arable cropland and artificial vegetation significantly increased (p < 0.05). Compared to arable cropland, artificial vegetations (forest and shrub) had a significantly greater SWD regardless of either precipitation gradient or soil depth. In particular, the deep-rooted vegetations (R. pseudoacacia and C. korshinskii) on the Loess Plateau demonstrated the greatest SWD in the 0–1800 cm layer due to their great water consumption. Indeed, a positive relationship between the accumulated SWD and the accumulated root biomass was detected, suggesting that the increased root biomass in soil depth may promote soil water consumption. In addition, the relative SWD in artificial vegetation at a depth of 1800 cm decreased significantly (p < 0.05). These findings reveal that there is a mechanism of precipitation self-regulation on the deep SWD, of which is more sensitive in the sub-shallow soil layers. We conclude that the SWD depends on vegetation restoration, soil depth, and precipitation self-regulation, offering a reference for how afforestation affects deep soil water in the Loess Plateau region. This finding also benefits to mediate water balance processes and develop sustainable land management in water-limited regions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is an incretin hormone which has been ascribed a positive role in cardiovascular function. However, little is known about the association between GIP and microvascular complications including retina and kidney. In the present study, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between fasting serum GIP and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 295 T2DM patients in our endocrine ward in order to investigate the relationship between fasting serum GIP and microvascular complications. Results: Among the 295 T2DM patients, the levels of median fasting serum GIP of all were 431.36pg/ml, interquartile range of which were 333.26~531.96pg/ml and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) were 37.63% and 38.64% respectively. Our study observed that the prevalence of DR was significantly higher in low-levels GIP group compared with those in high-levels GIP group (p=0.007) (46.26% versus 31.08%) and the levels of fasting serum GIP were also higher in T2DM patients without DR than those with DR (p=0.019) (440.99pg/ml versus 405.90pg/ml). Spearman's correlation and multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that prevalence of DR was independently and negatively correlated with fasting serum GIP in T2DM (r=−0.134, p=0.021) (DR,β= −0.279; 95% CI, −0.512~−0.047, p = 0.019). However, there were no differences in fasting serum GIP between non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (p=0.951). Similarly, we did not find any association between fasting serum GIP and prevalence of DN by using various statistical analyses. Conclusions: Prevalence of DR was independently and negatively correlated with fasting serum GIP in T2DM, indicating that elevated levels of fasting serum GIP may act as protective factors for DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A critical depth was detected (180 cm), above which SOC differed significantly among land uses. • Low SOC content in the central area of the northern Chinese Loess Plateau corresponded to the aeolian sand area of Ordos. • Soil texture and temperature controlled SOC throughout the 0–500 cm soil profile. • The spatial variations and forcing factors of SOC were all depth-dependent. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in deeper soils is becoming increasingly significant in carbon management and carbon cycle especially in the face of climate and land use alterations. However, spatial variability of deep SOC at a regional scale and its related dominant factors are rarely investigated. To ascertain the vertical distribution and regional spatial variations in the SOC content of deep soil, 1648 soil samples were collected from 67 sites across the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) at a depth of 500 cm. Results showed that the mean SOC content of three land use types were recorded as follows: cropland (2.93 ± 0.29 g kg−1) > forest (2.56 ± 0.24 g kg−1) > grassland (2.39 ± 0.29 g kg−1), and the vertical distribution of soil profile from 0 to 500 cm was similar. Furthermore, a significant alteration in SOC content was observed in the soil layer of 0–180 cm among the three land use types (p < 0.05). Spatial distribution maps of SOC content indicated that there was a central region of the northern CLP with low SOC content, which corresponds to the eolian sand area in Ordos. Both the spatial variations and influencing factors of SOC content were found to be depth-dependent, but soil texture and temperature were identified as the dominant factors affecting the 0–500 cm soil profile of the CLP. Clarifying this information is helpful for understanding content level and variation of deep SOC, which can provide a reference for carbon sequestration in deep soil and developing sustainable SOC management for the CLP and other related ecological regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spatiotemporal DSL variation and associated forcings were explored at a semi-humid catchment. • Land use type was the dominant control on DSL variation at a catchment scale. • DSL response to meteorological factors differed between the semiarid and semi-humid catchments. • The mixed "forest/shrubland + grass" plantation type is recommended for the semi-humid catchment. The formation of dried soil layers (DSLs) is a broad consequence of climate change (i.e., through temperature increases and/or precipitation decreases) and poor land management practices, where these layers exist has severe negative effects (i.e., retardation of vegetation, negative water cycle balance) on the sustainability of restored ecosystems and health of agriculture. Because of the effort and time required, only sporadic in situ measurements on spatial and temporal DSL variation have been reported, particularly at a catchment scale. However, this information is essential for understanding mechanisms associated with evolutionary DSL processes as well as developing effective land management techniques. Accordingly, this study monitored soil water content to a 5 m depth over a 5-year period in a semi-humid catchment on the Loess Plateau while also investigating temporal DSL dynamics and dominant controls. In the semi-humid catchment, DSLs occurred at 90.7 % of all sampling sites. Spatially and temporally averaged DSL formation depth (DSLFD), DSL thickness (DSLT), and DSL soil water content (DSL-SWC) within the 0–5 m profile were 170 cm, 262 cm, and 9.52 %, respectively. Forest and shrubland DSL regimes were drier than those of grassland. These three DSL indices exhibited significant correlation with temperature variables, while only DSLFD variables significantly correlated to precipitation. Land use type was the predominant control of DSL variation at a catchment scale. A spatial DSLT variation comparison under different land use treatment positions determined the feasibility of planting grass at an upslope position and mixed forest/shrubland + grass at mid-slope and downslope positions in the semi-humid catchment, which provides a good case study for afforestation practices at a catchment scale. Findings from this study are intended to aid in catchment soil and water conservation, soil drought mitigation, and sustainable vegetation management practices on the Loess Plateau as well as other water-limited regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are widely distributed extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are currently a major research hotspot for researchers based on their wide range of sources, stable membrane structure, low immunogenicity, and containing a variety of biomolecules. A large number of literatures have shown that exosomes and exosome cargoes (especially microRNAs) play an important role in the activation of inflammation, development of tumor, differentiation of cells, regulation of immunity and so on. Studies have found that exosomes can stimulate the immune response of the body and participate in the occurrence and development of various diseases, including autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, the potential of exosomes as therapeutic tools in various diseases has also attracted much attention. Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, mainly composed of Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), which affects the health of many people and has a genetic predisposition, but its pathogenesis is still being explored. Starting from the relevant biological characteristics of exosomes, this review summarizes the current research status of exosomes and the association between exosomes and some diseases, with a focus on the situation of AITD and the potential role of exosomes (including substances in their vesicles) in AITD in combination with the current published literature, aiming to provide new directions for the pathogenesis, diagnosis or therapy of AITD. Supplemental data for this article is available online at [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water storage (SWS) can effectively be used as an important indicator to manage soil water resources in water-limited ecosystems, being strongly linked to land-use and land management changes. The Government of China launched the Gully Land Consolidation (GLC) project in 2011 to reclaim landforms and resolve land scarcity and food shortages in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) without endangering the environment. Corollary effects of this project were alterations to original landscapes and associated hydrological processes. However, temporal dynamics in available soil water of the newly formed land for cultivation purposes remain unclear. Accordingly, this study measured SWS to a 5 m soil depth over a 5-year period at two gully sites, one newly formed under the GLC project (i.e., the experimental site) and the other left untreated (i.e., the control). SWS exhibited similarly weak temporal variation at both gully sites (coefficient of variation [CV] = 6% at the experimental site; CV = 11% at the control site). Although SWS always negatively correlated to mean temperature and wind speed (p < 0.05) with no observable hysteresis, SWS responded to precipitation at both sites with obvious hysteresis (experimental site = two month hysteresis; control site = three months hysteresis). Seasonal SWS characteristics confirmed the lag response to precipitation. Moreover, spatial SWS patterns differed distinctly at both sites. The mean proportion of available SWS to the available water holding capacity was 69% at the experimental site, indicating that stored soil water was available for crop cultivation without the threat of water shortages. Our results provide new insight into spatial and temporal SWS variation in newly formed land engineered by restoration projects. Furthermore, clarifying SWS temporal dynamics and spatial distributions based on long-term monitoring is essential to evaluate, model, and manage water resources in areas affected by anthropic activities. • Temporal SWS dynamics in the 0–5 m layer were investigated at two gully sites. • SWS response to precipitation differed between the two gully sites. • Spatial SWS patterns at the two gully sites distinctly differed. • SWS at the newly formed land site was sufficient for crop cultivation. • Spatiotemporal SWS under restoration projects is critical to land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk density (BD) is one of the most important soil physical properties in the hydrological processes of Earth's Critical Zone (CZ). The heterogeneity and related controlling factors of surface BD have received extensive research attention. However, it is unclear whether the effects of controlling factors on BD are homogeneous or vary spatially. This study quantified topsoil BD with a high‐density sampling strategy (10 m × 10 m; n = 1134) across the ShuangChaGou watershed in the critical zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP‐CZ). Stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), regression kriging (RK), random forest (RF) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) were established as modelling approaches to (i) compare the performance of these four models in explaining BD variation, (ii) assess the main factors driving BD, and (iii) evaluate the spatial non‐stationary relationship between BD and its explanatory variables. GWR explained the BD variation to the same extent as the RK model (35%), outperforming both the SMLR (15%) and RF models (19%). The variation in topsoil BD depended mainly on: soil organic carbon (SOC) content, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), plan curvature, and slope length. The spatial distribution of the local R2, regression coefficient magnitude, significance and sign calculated by GWR revealed that the effects of variables accounting for variation in BD varied spatially. The explanatory power of these variables in terms of BD variation was strongest in northern and northeastern areas of the watershed and weakest in southern areas of the watershed. Both significant negative and positive correlations between BD and silt content, NDVI, and plan curvature were found. This study enriched traditional research linked to the complicated relationships between BD and controlling factors by incorporating spatial non‐stationarity, which is useful for improving the accuracy of hydrological modelling in the CLP‐CZ and in similar CZs worldwide. Highlights: Non‐stationary relationships between BD (N = 1134) and its explanatory variables were captured at the watershed scale.GWR model performed on par with the RK and better than the SMLR or RF model.Silt content, NDVI, and plan curvature showed both significant negative and positive effects on BD.Spatial non‐stationarity of BD should be considered for improving the performance of hydrological modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperthyroidism can cause glucose metabolism disorders and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance in muscle and adipose tissues has been extensively studied, whereas investigations on β-cell insulin resistance are limited. This study preliminarily explored the effects of high T3 levels on β-cell line (MIN6) insulin resistance, as well as the roles of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). In this study, we treated β-cell line with T3, with or without an inhibitor of phosphotyrosine phosphatases (PTPs, sodium vanadate) or ERS inhibitor (4-PBA). The results indicated that high levels of T3 significantly inhibited insulin secretion in β-cell line. In addition, we observed an upregulation of p-IRS-1ser307 and downregulation of Akt. These results can be corrected by sodium vanadate. Moreover, high T3 levels upregulate the ERS-related proteins PERK, IRE1, ATF6, and GRP78, as well as ERS-related apoptosis CHOP and caspase-12. Similarly, this change can be corrected by 4-PBA. These results suggest that high T3 levels can induce insulin resistance in β-cell line by activating ERS and the apoptotic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil properties were the primary controls on SAS variation across the watershed. • Topography can affect SAS by influencing SOC dynamics, allocation of LUT or NDVI. • Grassland restoration was recommended for preventing soil erosion in the study area. • SEM gave new insights into the complex network of SAS drivers and the potential paths. Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is a key soil property that affects soil erosion and soil ability to support ecosystem functions. The effects of different environmental factors on SAS are extensively documented. However, the relative importance of the factors that drive variation in SAS at watershed scale is not entirely clear. To investigate the effects of the interactions of environmental variables on spatial variation in SAS, 88 sampling sites were selected across an entire watershed (1.1 km2) on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), from where undisturbed soil samples were collected at the 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil depths. Three indices were used to evaluate the SAS — water-stable aggregates greater than 0.25 mm (WSA >0.25 , %), mean weight diameter (MWD, mm) and mean geometric diameter (MGD, mm). The results showed that variation of SAS across the watershed was moderate, with coefficient of variation (CV) of 23.5–38.9 %. From combined Spearman's correlation analysis (r), redundancy analysis (RDA) and structural equation modelling (SEM), it was found that soil intrinsic properties, mainly soil texture and organic carbon content (SOC), were the primary control on SAS variation. Topographic attributes, primarily wetness index (TWI) and altitude, were also important controls on SAS. These controls were either the direct or indirect effect through SOC dynamics, spatial distribution of land use (LUT) or vegetation cover (NDVI). The effect of LUT on SAS was mainly driven by SOC and TWI at the 0–10 cm depth but by NDVI and TWI at the 10–20 cm depth. SAS was positively correlated with sand content and SOC, but negatively correlated with silt content, altitude, TWI and NDVI. For LUT, SAS in the apple orchard was significantly lower than in shrubland and grassland, however, it was comparable with that in forest. Considering the effects of improving soil structure and the related economic cost, natural restoration of grassland was a good choice for preventing soil erosion in the study area. The results of this study could deepen our understanding of the controls on SAS variation and therefore become useful in soil management and vegetation restoration decisions on CLP and other regions with similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Surface K s variation (N = 1195) under different landscape units was explored across a watershed. • K s magnitude and variation differed significantly among Tableland, Gully-land and Slope-land. • BD, SSWC, silt, plan curvature, NDVI, and slope gradient shaped K s variations in the watershed. • Factors controlling K s variations were different under the three landscape units. • Distinct landscape units should be considered for evaluating the K s heterogeneity in a watershed. The spatial heterogeneity and related driving factors of the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s) in the Earth's critical zones (CZs) have been documented widely in the literature. However, information regarding the effect of distinct landscape units (i.e., Slope-land, Gully-land, and Tableland) on such heterogeneity at the watershed scale in CZs characterized by complex topographic conditions remains scant. In the current study, we collected undisturbed and disturbed soil samples from the surface soil layer (0–5 cm) at 1195 sampling sites across the ShuangChaGou watershed (0.22 km2) in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). According to classical and geostatistical analyses combined with the structural equation model (SEM), the mean K s followed the sequence Slope-land (0.25 cm·min−1) > Gully-land (0.187 cm·min−1) > All samples (0.186 cm·min−1) > Tableland (0.14 cm·min−1) (p < 0.05), with the K s values exhibiting moderate variations except for the Gully-land (strong variation). The LogK s spatial variation characteristics (i.e., the anisotropy ratio, effective range, and C/(C 0 + C)) considering the influence of topography varied among the landscape units and the entire watershed. The SEM identified that soil bulk density, saturated soil water content, silt content, plan curvature, NDVI, and slope gradient were the controlling factors in sequence affecting the K s variation for All samples (AS). In contrast, factors controlling K s variations were different under the Tableland, Gully-land, Slope-land, and AS. The magnitudes, spatial variations and controlling factors of the surface K s were greatly affected by the landscape units. Our study provided a robust assessment of the spatial variation of K s in CZs involving complicated topographic features, highlighting the utility of dividing distinct landscape units when evaluating the K s variation. A good understanding of this information is helpful for developing distributed hydrological models and for evaluating water and solute transportation in CZs of the CLP and similar regions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Noninvasive approach for obtaining soil water content is proposed. • Soil water content is indirectly obtained from electrical resistivity. • Prediction models for soil water content were built for different soil conditions. • The proposed approach was applied at the Chinese Loess Plateau for validation. • Models for deep soil gave better results and may be applied to other loess regions. Acquiring data for the soil water content (θ) is important for assessing vegetation growth, drought, and climate change. However, it is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task that is especially challenging in deep soils. Therefore, we introduce the noninvasive technique of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) for indirectly determining θ through the development of prediction models for loessial regions under different site conditions (i.e., soil texture, land use, soil depth, and dry/wet conditions). We obtained 2769 pairs of electrical resistivity (ρ) and θ datasets using ERT (53 sites) and a neutron probe (69 access tubes) on the Chinese Loess Plateau. We built linear and nonlinear models correlating ρ and θ and selected the best model according to the coefficient of determination (R 2) and root-mean-square error (RMSE). The uncertainty and sensitivity of ERT - derived θ were further evaluated and acceptable results were obtained. The new models correlating ρ and θ under different site conditions are the first set of models based on field data from a loessial region, and their acceptable performance makes them applicable for measuring different soil parameters in the Loess Plateau and possibly other loessial regions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]