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Ecological Applications : a Publication... Oct 2022Lakes are dynamic ecosystems that can transition among stable states. Since ecosystem-scale transitions can be detrimental and difficult to reverse, being able to...
Lakes are dynamic ecosystems that can transition among stable states. Since ecosystem-scale transitions can be detrimental and difficult to reverse, being able to predict impending critical transitions in state variables has become a major area of research. However, not all transitions are detrimental, and there is considerable interest in better evaluating the success of management interventions to support adaptive management strategies. Here, we retrospectively evaluated the agreement between time series statistics (i.e., standard deviation, autocorrelation, skewness, and kurtosis-also known as early warning indicators) and breakpoints in state variables in a lake (Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada) that has improved from a state of eutrophication. Long-term (1980 to 2019) monitoring data collected fortnightly throughout the ice-free season were used to evaluate historical changes in 15 state variables (e.g., dissolved organic carbon, phosphorus, chlorophyll a) and multivariate-derived time series at three monitoring stations (shallow, middepth, deep) in Lake Simcoe. Time series results from the two deep-water stations indicate that over this period Lake Simcoe transitioned from an algal-dominated state toward a state with increased water clarity (i.e., Secchi disk depth) and silica and lower nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations, which coincided with both substantial management intervention and the establishment of invasive species (e.g., Dreissenid mussels). Consistent with improvement, Secchi depth at the deep-water stations demonstrated expected trends in statistical indicators prior to identified breakpoints, whereas total phosphorus and chlorophyll a revealed more nuanced patterns. Overall, state variables were largely found to yield inconsistent trends in statistical indicators, so many breakpoints were likely not reflective of traditional bifurcation critical transitions. Nevertheless, statistical indicators of state variable time series may be a valuable tool for the adaptive management and long-term monitoring of lake ecosystems, but we call for more research within the domain of early warning indicators to establish a better understanding of state variable behavior prior to lake changes.
Topics: Chlorophyll A; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Eutrophication; Lakes; Ontario; Phosphorus; Retrospective Studies; Silicon Dioxide; Water
PubMed: 35633203
DOI: 10.1002/eap.2685 -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Mar 2020Ferric citrate is an oral iron-based phosphate binder, being known to affect iron status and improve iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in chronic kidney disease (CKD)...
Ferric citrate is an oral iron-based phosphate binder, being known to affect iron status and improve iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We examined whether oral administration of ferric citrate could change iron status and improve anemia without affecting phosphorus metabolism in iron deficiency anemia rats. In Normal rat study, normal rats were fed a diet containing 0.3 or 3% ferric citrate for 11 days for setting the dose and administration period of ferric citrate. The effects of ferric citrate on iron status- and phosphorus metabolism-related parameters were evaluated using blood and urine samples. Next, an iron deficiency anemia was induced by feeding iron-depleted diet in rats. After 7 days of starting the iron-depleted diet, 0.3% ferric citrate was administered for 7 days by dietary admixture. Iron status- and phosphorus metabolism-related parameters were evaluated with blood and urine samples. In Normal rat study, 3% ferric citrate treatment increased serum iron level and transferrin saturation (TSAT), and decreased serum phosphorus level, intact fibroblast growth factor 23 (iFGF23) level, and urinary phosphorus excretion, but 0.3% ferric citrate treatment showed no effects. On the other hand, in Iron deficiency anemia rat study, 0.3% ferric citrate treatment increased iron status-related parameters and improved anemia, but did not show any apparent changes in phosphorus metabolism-related parameters. In conclusion, ferric citrate could have hematopoietic effects without affecting phosphorus metabolism, and could be a potential option for the treatment of IDA in patients without CKD.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; Animals; Ferric Compounds; Fibroblast Growth Factor-23; Fibroblast Growth Factors; Iron Deficiencies; Male; Phosphorus; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
PubMed: 31996496
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.19-0641 -
Biosensors Nov 2022As per global cancer statistics of 2020, female breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and also the foremost cause of cancer death in women. Traditional... (Review)
Review
As per global cancer statistics of 2020, female breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and also the foremost cause of cancer death in women. Traditional treatments include a number of negative effects, making it necessary to investigate novel smart drug delivery methods and identify new therapeutic approaches. Efforts for developing novel strategies for breast cancer therapy are being devised worldwide by various research groups. Currently, two-dimensional black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNSs) have attracted considerable attention and are best suited for theranostic nanomedicine. Particularly, their characteristics, including drug loading efficacy, biocompatibility, optical, thermal, electrical, and phototherapeutic characteristics, support their growing demand as a potential substitute for graphene-based nanomaterials in biomedical applications. In this review, we have explained different platforms of BP nanomaterials for breast cancer management, their structures, functionalization approaches, and general methods of synthesis. Various characteristics of BP nanomaterials that make them suitable for cancer therapy and diagnosis, such as large surface area, nontoxicity, solubility, biodegradability, and excellent near-infrared (NIR) absorption capability, are discussed in the later sections. Next, we summarize targeting approaches using various strategies for effective therapy with BP nanoplatforms. Then, we describe applications of BP nanomaterials for breast cancer treatment, which include drug delivery, codelivery of drugs, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, combined therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and multidrug resistance reversal strategy. Finally, the present challenges and future aspects of BP nanomaterials are discussed.
Topics: Female; Humans; Breast Neoplasms; Phosphorus; Nanostructures; Photochemotherapy; Graphite
PubMed: 36421127
DOI: 10.3390/bios12111009 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jan 2023Engineering solutions to recover phosphorus from municipal wastewater are required to close the anthropogenic phosphorus cycle. After chemical phosphorus elimination by...
Engineering solutions to recover phosphorus from municipal wastewater are required to close the anthropogenic phosphorus cycle. After chemical phosphorus elimination by iron, the ferrous iron‑phosphorus mineral vivianite forms in digested sludge, and its separation is being researched at the pilot scale. In this study, sludge samples from 16 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) demonstrated that phosphorus bound to biomass and redox-sensitive iron in activated sludge was transformed into other phosphorus binding forms, including vivianite, during digestion. Vivianite quantity was approximated using X-ray diffraction and two sequential extractions. These three independent methods of approximating vivianite quantity were closely related confirming their relationship to the vivianite content in the samples. The digested sludge from three WWTPs exhibited comparatively high levels of vivianite-bound phosphorus approximated between 31 % and 51 % of total phosphorus. The controlling factors of vivianite formation were investigated in order to enhance its formation in digested sludge and increase the amount of phosphorus recoverable as vivianite. They were identified using single and multivariate correlation (MLR), considering the sludge properties, sludge composition, and process parameters within the operating range of the 16 WWTPs. Increasing iron content was verified as the primary predictor of significantly increased vivianite formation (MLR: p < 0.001). In addition, increasing sulphur content was found to be an additional significant factor that decreased vivianite formation (MLR: p < 0.05). Furthermore, a comparison of plants using sulphur-free (FeCl and FeCl) and sulphur-containing (FeSO and FeClSO) precipitants indicated that the latter could increase the sulphur content in digested sludge (one-tailed Welch two-sample t-test: t(14.6) = 2.3, p = 0.02). Thus, by increasing the sulphur content, the use of sulphur-comprising precipitants may counteract vivianite formation, whereas sulphur-free precipitants may facilitate it and, hence, promote vivianite recovery.
Topics: Sewage; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Phosphates; Phosphorus; Iron; Sulfur
PubMed: 36096220
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158663 -
Animal : An International Journal of... Jul 2021Minimising phosphorus (P) feeding to dairy cows can reduce feed costs and minimise water pollution without impairing animal performance. This study aimed to determine...
Minimising phosphorus (P) feeding to dairy cows can reduce feed costs and minimise water pollution without impairing animal performance. This study aimed to determine current P feeding practices and identify the barriers to and motivators for minimising P feeding on dairy farms, using Great Britain (GB) dairy farming as an example of diverse systems. Farmers (n = 139) and feed advisers (n = 31) were involved simultaneously in independent questionnaire surveys on P feeding in dairy farms. Data on the herd size, milk yield and concentrate fed were analysed using ANOVA to investigate the effect of farm classification, region, and feed professional advice. Chi-square tests were used to investigate associations between farm characteristics and implemented P feeding and management practices. Most farmers (72%) did not know the P concentration in their lactating cow's diet and did not commonly adopt precision P feeding practices, indicating that cows might have been offered dietary P in excess of recommended P requirement. Farmers' tendency to feed P in excess of recommendations increased with herd size, but so did their awareness of P pollution issues and likeliness of testing manure P. However, 68% of farmers did not analyse manure P, indicating that mineral P fertiliser application rates were not adjusted accordingly, highlighting the risk of P being applied beyond crops' requirement. Almost all farmers (96%) were willing to lower dietary P concentration but the uncertainty of P availability in feed ingredients (30%) and concerns over reduced cow fertility (22%) were primary barriers. The willingness to reduce dietary P concentrations was driven by the prospect of reducing environmental damage (28%) and feed costs (27%) and advice from their feed professionals (25%). Most farmers (70%) relied on a feed professional, and these farmers had a higher tendency to analyse their forage P. However, farmers of pasture-based systems relied less on feed professionals. Both farmers (73%) and feed advisers (68%) were unsatisfied with the amount of training on P management available. Therefore, the training on P management needs to be more available and the influence that feed professionals have over P feeding should be better utilised. Study findings demonstrate the importance of considering type of dairy farming systems when developing precision P feeding strategies and highlight the increasing importance of feed professionals in minimising P feeding.
Topics: Agriculture; Animal Feed; Animals; Cattle; Dairying; Farms; Female; Lactation; Milk; Phosphorus; United Kingdom
PubMed: 34098520
DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2021.100248 -
MSystems Jun 2022" Accumulibacter" was the first microorganism identified as a polyphosphate-accumulating organism (PAO) important for phosphorus removal from wastewater. Members of this...
" Accumulibacter" was the first microorganism identified as a polyphosphate-accumulating organism (PAO) important for phosphorus removal from wastewater. Members of this genus are diverse, and the current phylogeny and taxonomic framework appear complicated, with most publicly available genomes classified as " Accumulibacter phosphatis," despite notable phylogenetic divergence. The marker gene allows for a finer-scale differentiation into different "types" and "clades"; nevertheless, taxonomic assignments remain inconsistent across studies. Therefore, a comprehensive reevaluation is needed to establish a common understanding of this genus, in terms of both naming and basic conserved physiological traits. Here, we provide this reassessment using a comparison of genome, , and 16S rRNA gene-based approaches from comprehensive data sets. We identified 15 novel species, along with " Accumulibacter phosphatis," " Accumulibacter delftensis," and " Accumulibacter aalborgensis." To compare the species , we designed new species-specific fluorescence hybridization (FISH) probes and revealed their morphology and arrangement in activated sludge. Based on the MiDAS global survey, ". Accumulibacter" species were widespread in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with phosphorus removal, indicating process design as a major driver for their abundance. Genome mining for PAO-related pathways and FISH-Raman microspectroscopy confirmed the potential for PAO metabolism in all ". Accumulibacter" species, with detection of the typical PAO storage polymers. Genome annotation further revealed differences in the nitrate/nitrite reduction pathways. This provides insights into the niche differentiation of these lineages, potentially explaining their coexistence in the same ecosystem while contributing to overall phosphorus and nitrogen removal. " Accumulibacter" is the most studied PAO, with a primary role in biological nutrient removal. However, the species-level taxonomy of this lineage is convoluted due to the use of different phylogenetic markers or genome sequencing approaches. Here, we redefined the phylogeny of these organisms, proposing a comprehensive approach which could be used to address the classification of other diverse and uncultivated lineages. Using genome-resolved phylogeny, compared to phylogeny based on the 16S rRNA gene and other phylogenetic markers, we obtained a higher-resolution taxonomy and established a common understanding of this genus. Furthermore, genome mining of genes and pathways of interest, validated by application of a new set of FISH probes and Raman microspectroscopy, provided additional high-resolution metabolic insights into these organisms.
Topics: Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Ecosystem; Betaproteobacteria; Phosphorus
PubMed: 35467400
DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00016-22 -
Computational and Mathematical Methods... 2022Bisphosphonate is currently considered one of the drugs for the first-line treatment of osteoporosis because of its ability to inhibit bone resorption, but the molecular... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Bisphosphonate is currently considered one of the drugs for the first-line treatment of osteoporosis because of its ability to inhibit bone resorption, but the molecular mechanism of its effect on osteocyte proliferation and bone formation of diabetic osteoporosis is still unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To confirm the potential effect on of bisphosphonate on osteocyte proliferation and bone formation in patients having diabetic osteoporosis (DO).
METHODS
Sixty DO patients admitted to our hospital from February 2019 to April 2021 were randomly selected and divided into the bisphosphonate group and the control group. The total incidence, incidence of hip fracture, efficacy, bone mineral density, osteocalcin, pain score, osteocyte proliferation, bone formation index, serum calcium, and phosphorus contents were compared between two groups.
RESULTS
The curative effect of bisphosphonic acid group was better than that of control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the bone mineral density and osteocalcin in the bisphosphonic acid group were significantly improved after treatment, and the pain score in the bisphosphonic acid group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( < 0.05). After intervention treatment, the OD and PINP values in the bisphosphonate group were significantly different from those in the control group ( < 0.05). After treatment, the contents of serum calcium and phosphorus in the bisphosphonic acid group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( < 0.05). The incidence of hip fracture, spinal fracture, and other fractures in the bisphosphonic acid group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The treatment of DO with bisphosphonate is capability of effectively improving bone cell proliferation and bone formation, further alleviating clinical symptoms and promoting the improvement of the disease.
Topics: Bone Density; Bone Density Conservation Agents; Calcium; Cell Proliferation; Diabetes Mellitus; Diphosphonates; Hip Fractures; Humans; Osteocalcin; Osteocytes; Osteogenesis; Osteoporosis; Pain; Phosphorus
PubMed: 35844452
DOI: 10.1155/2022/2368564 -
Nature Communications Sep 2022Leaf functional traits are important indicators of plant growth and ecosystem dynamics. Despite a wealth of knowledge about leaf trait relationships, a mechanistic...
Leaf functional traits are important indicators of plant growth and ecosystem dynamics. Despite a wealth of knowledge about leaf trait relationships, a mechanistic understanding of how biotic and abiotic factors quantitatively influence leaf trait variation and scaling is still incomplete. We propose that leaf water content (LWC) inherently affects other leaf traits, although its role has been largely neglected. Here, we present a modification of a previously validated model based on metabolic theory and use an extensive global leaf trait dataset to test it. Analyses show that mass-based photosynthetic capacity and specific leaf area increase nonlinearly with LWC, as predicted by the model. When the effects of temperature and LWC are controlled, the numerical values for the leaf area-mass scaling exponents converge onto 1.0 across plant functional groups, ecosystem types, and latitudinal zones. The data also indicate that leaf water mass is a better predictor of whole-leaf photosynthesis and leaf area than whole-leaf nitrogen and phosphorus masses. Our findings highlight a comprehensive theory that can quantitatively predict some global patterns from the leaf economics spectrum.
Topics: Ecosystem; Nitrogen; Phosphorus; Photosynthesis; Plant Leaves; Water
PubMed: 36130948
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32784-1 -
Cells Feb 2022Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth. In recent decades, the application of phosphate (Pi) fertilizers has contributed to significant increases in... (Review)
Review
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth. In recent decades, the application of phosphate (Pi) fertilizers has contributed to significant increases in crop yields all over the world. However, low efficiency of P utilization in crops leads to intensive application of Pi fertilizers, which consequently stimulates environmental pollution and exhaustion of P mineral resources. Therefore, in order to strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture, understandings of molecular mechanisms underlying P efficiency in plants are required to develop cultivars with high P utilization efficiency. Recently, a plant Pi-signaling network was established through forward and reverse genetic analysis, with the aid of the application of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and ionomics. Among these, proteomics provides a powerful tool to investigate mechanisms underlying plant responses to Pi availability at the protein level. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of proteomic analysis in the identification of differential proteins that play roles in Pi acquisition, translocation, assimilation, and reutilization in plants. These findings could provide insights into molecular mechanisms underlying Pi acquisition and utilization efficiency, and offer new strategies in genetically engineering cultivars with high P utilization efficiency.
Topics: Agriculture; Crops, Agricultural; Fertilizers; Phosphorus; Proteomics
PubMed: 35203302
DOI: 10.3390/cells11040651 -
Environmental Science & Technology Nov 2023Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution is of great concern to aquatic life and human well-being. While most of these nutrients are applied to the landscape, little is known...
Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution is of great concern to aquatic life and human well-being. While most of these nutrients are applied to the landscape, little is known about the complex interplay among nutrient applications, transport attenuation processes, and coastal loads. Here, we enhance and apply the Spatially Explicit Nutrient Source Estimate and Flux model (SENSEflux) to simulate the total annual nitrogen and phosphorus loads from the US Great Lakes Basin to the coastline, identify nutrient delivery hotspots, and estimate the relative contributions of different sources and pathways at a high resolution (120 m). In addition to in-stream uptake, the main novelty of this model is that SENSEflux explicitly describes nutrient attenuation through four distinct pathways that are seldom described jointly in other models: runoff from tile-drained agricultural fields, overland runoff, groundwater flow, and septic plumes within groundwater. Our analysis shows that agricultural sources are dominant for both total nitrogen (TN) (58%) and total phosphorus (TP) (46%) deliveries to the Great Lakes. In addition, this study reveals that the surface pathways (sum of overland flow and tile field drainage) dominate nutrient delivery, transporting 66% of the TN and 76% of the TP loads to the US Great Lakes coastline. Importantly, this study provides the first basin-wide estimates of both nonseptic groundwater (TN: 26%; TP: 5%) and septic-plume groundwater (TN: 4%; TP: 2%) deliveries of nutrients to the lakes. This work provides valuable information for environmental managers to target efforts to reduce nutrient loads to the Great Lakes, which could be transferred to other regions worldwide that are facing similar nutrient management challenges.
Topics: Humans; Environmental Monitoring; Groundwater; Phosphorus; Nutrients; Nitrogen; Lakes; China
PubMed: 37871005
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03741