Short-term Stress Research Articles

Developing A Short-Term Climate Stress Scenario to 2030 - Combining Climate Narratives with Empirical Credit Model Shocks Benchmarked to the ‘Great Recession

Developing A Short-Term Climate Stress Scenario to 2030 - Combining Climate Narratives with Empirical Credit Model Shocks Benchmarked to the ‘Great Recession

The impact of high-temperature treatments on maize growth parameters and soil nutrients: A comprehensive evaluation through principal component analysis.

In contrast to prolonged exposure to high temperatures, investigating short-term high-temperature stress can provide insights into the impact of varying heat stress durations on plant development and soil nutrient dynamics, which is crucial for advancing ecological agriculture. In this study, five heating temperatures were set at 200°C, 250°C, 300°C, 350°C, and 400°C, along with five heating time gradients of 6s, 10s, 14s, 18s, and 20s, including a control. A total of 26 treatment groups were analyzed, focusing on maize growth parameters and soil indicators. Principal component analysis was used for comprehensive evaluation. The results showed that high-temperature treatments with different heating times significantly influenced maize growth and soil properties. For instance, the treatment of 300°C+6s resulted in the longest total root length, while 200°C+6s led to the highest average root diameter. Plant height and leaf length were notably increased with the treatment of 400°C+6s. Most treatments resulted in decreased soil pH and organic matter content. Notably, the treatment of 350°C+16s showed the highest available phosphorus content, reaching 24.0 mg/kg, an increase of 4.5 mg/kg compared to the control. The study found that the average levels of active organic carbon and peroxidase were 1.26 mg/g and 3.91 mg/g, respectively. Additionally, the average mass fractions of clay, silt, and sand particles were 8.99%, 66.75%, and 24.26%, respectively. Through principal component analysis, six principal components were able to extract 19 indicators from the 26 treatments, covering 86.129% of the information. It was observed that 16 treatment methods performed better than the control in terms of soil comprehensive quality. The optimal treatment temperature and time identified for improving soil physicochemical properties and crop growth were 300°C+6s. These findings can be used to guide agricultural management and soil improvement practices, ultimately enhancing field productivity and providing valuable insights for sustainable agricultural development.

Effect of heat stress on meat quality: A review

One of the stressful situations for livestock and poultry is heat stress (HS), which has a detrimental effect on animal physiology, production, and product quality. Because of their quick development and metabolism, high production, and species-specific characteristics including decreased sweating, the protective layer of skin, and rumen fermentation, some varieties of livestock are more vulnerable to heat stress than others. Muscle that is pale, soft and exudative (PSE) and lacks the ability to retain water can be produced by short-term heat stress that occurs pre-slaughter. This stress increases muscle glycogenolysis. In contrast, animals that experience prolonged heat stress have lower muscle glycogen reserves, which results in meat that is dark, firm, and dry (DFD), has a high final pH and water retention capacity. Moreover, HS causes shortened shelf life, oxidative stress. According to a recent study, HS might plausibly modify the rate and amount of postmortem muscle glycolysis and the resulting pH, which can impact the physiological and metabolic disturbances that occur in live animals as well as the features of carcasses and meat quality. This review reflects the effect of heat stress on meat quality.

Yield compensation among plant regions improves soybean adaptation to short-term high-temperature stress during the reproductive period

Extreme heat events prolong the reproductive period and threaten soybean yield, whereas the specific stage at which individual fruits growth is delayed, and yield/yield components at the node, region, and plant levels under short-term heat stress in the reproductive stage are elusive. In this study, heat treatments (40/30 °C) were applied at 0–6 days (HTF0-6), 6–12 days (HTF6-12), 12–18 days (HTF12-18), and 0–12 days (HTF0-12) after the plant's first flower opened, and a control treatment (32/22 °C) was performed. The influences of heat stress on fruit development and yield/yield components at the node, region, and plant levels were investigated. As a result, the growth of individual fruits at nodes was delayed by HTF0-6 and HTF0-12, which was primarily caused by the prolongation of flowering to pods with a length of 2 cm. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in yield between the control treatment and the various high-temperature stress treatments at the plant level. Further analysis of the regional yield of soybean showed that the yield in the bottom and top regions of plants played significant roles in compensating for yield loss in the middle region after HTF0-12. Moreover, the delayed growth of individual fruits in the middle region was negatively correlated with yield. Our results indicate that the prolongation of fruit development induced by HTF0-6 and HTF0-12 may adversely affect soybean yield. However, the spatial compensation of plants could help maintain soybean yield under various short-term high temperature stress treatments during the reproductive period, which should be considered when breeding for and selecting heat-tolerant varieties.

THE IMPACT OF TWO GINSENG ADMINISTRATIONS ON STRESS FROM ACUTE PHYSICAL EFFORT

Panax Ginseng (GSG) may be a useful agent for treating depression and anxiety. The aim of the research was to evaluate two administrations of a product containing GSG (P-GSG) in intense acute physical stress. Healthy men were voluntarily enrolled into 4 groups: control (C) no treatment; who received placebo (P); who received P-GSG for one week (GSG1); who received P-GSG for 3 weeks (GSG3). All participants were subjected to the same type of stress: an acute and short-term intense physical effort on a cycle ergometer. The administered products were: placebo and P-GSG. The scans were: anxiety (A) and heart rate (HR). Parameters were significantly increased at C and P, for A and HR compared to GSG1 and GSG3. The greatest impact of P-GSG was on A. GSG1 compared to GSG3 had a greater impact on A and HR. In conclusion, through this study we found that Panax Ginseng, especially if taken for a longer period of time, reduces heart rate and anxiety in short-term acute intense exercise stress.

BAG2 and MAPK2 regulate differently on different periods of heat-induced programmed cell death in tomato

High temperature is a significant abiotic stress that affects growth and development of plants. BAG (Bcl-2 associated athanogene) protein family members act as co-chaperones and apoptosis inhibitors in multiple cellular processes. BAG, MAPK (Mitogen-activated protein kinase), and programmed cell death (PCD) play critical roles in plant growth and development, stress response, and disease resistance. In this study, we investigated the interaction of BAG, and MAPK as well as their putative role in PCD under either short or long-term heat stress. We constructed mutants of bag2 and mapk2 in tomato using CRISPR/Cas9. Our results revealed that tomato BAG2 and MAPK2 interacted positively both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, after 3 h of heat stress, the activities of Caspase 3 and antioxidant enzymes, expression levels of Caspase 3 and Caspase 9, and contents of H2O2 in bag2 and mapk2 mutant plants were lower than those in WT (wild type) plants. Moreover, under short-term (3 h) heat stress, the DNA fragmentation phenomena and trypan blue coloration in both mutants were less severe than in WT plants; however, DNA integrities were broken, and the number of dead cells was higher under long-term (24 h) heat stress. Additionally, the electrolyte leakage was increased, but the Fv/Fm (maximum photochemical efficiency) value was decreased in mutants following exposure to heat stress. These results suggested that tomato BAG2 and MAPK2 suppressed short-time heat-induced PCD while promoting long-time heat-induced PCD.

RNA-seq analysis of small intestine transcriptional changes induced by starvation stress in piglets

Piglets may experience a variety of stress injuries, but the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying these injuries are not well understood. In this study, we analysed the ileum of Large White (LW) and Mashen (MS) piglets at different times of starvation using chemical staining and transcriptome analysis. The intestinal barrier of piglets was damaged after starvation stress, but the intestinal antistress ability of MS piglets was stronger than LW piglets. A total of 8021 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in two breeds. Interestingly, the immune capacity (CHUK, TLR3) of MS piglets increased significantly after short-term starvation stress, while energy metabolism (NAGS, PLA2G12B, AGCG8) was predominant in LW piglets. After long-term starvation stress, the level of energy metabolism (PLIN5, PLA2G12B) was significantly increased in MS piglets. The expression of immune (HLA-DQB1, IGHG4, COL3A1, CD28, LAT) and disease (HSPA1B, MINPPI, ADH1C, GAL3ST1) related genes were significantly increased in two breeds of piglets. These results suggest that short-term stress mainly enhances immunity and energy metabolism in piglets, while long-term starvation produces greater stress on piglets, making it difficult for them to compensate for the damage to their bodies through self-regulation. This information can help improve the stress resistance of piglets through molecular breeding.

Material properties in regenerating axolotl limbs using inverse finite element analysis

BackgroundThe extracellular mechanical environment plays an important role in the skeletal development process. Characterization of the material properties of regenerating tissues that recapitulate development, provides insights into the mechanical environment experienced by the cells and the maturation of the matrix. In this study, we estimated the viscoelastic material properties of regenerating forelimbs in the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) at three different regeneration stages: 27 days post-amputation (mid-late bud) and 41 days post-amputation (palette stage), and fully-grown time points. A stress-relaxation indentation test followed by two-term Prony series viscoelastic inverse finite element analysis was used to obtain material parameters. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content was estimated using a 1,9- dimethyl methylene blue assay. ResultsThe instantaneous and equilibrium shear moduli significantly increased with regeneration while the short-term stress relaxation time significantly decreased with limb regeneration. The long-term stress relaxation time in the fully-grown time point was significantly lower than 27 and 41 DPA groups. The GAG content was not significantly different between 27 and 41 DPA but the GAG content of cartilage in the fully-grown group was significantly greater than in 27 and 41 DPA. ConclusionsThe mechanical environment of the proliferating cells changes drastically during limb regeneration. Understanding how the tissue's mechanical properties change during limb regeneration is critical for linking molecular-level matrix production of the cells to tissue-level behavior and mechanical signals.

Effects of different chronic restraint stress periods on anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism along the brain-gut axis in C57BL/6N mice

Chronic restraint stress (CRS) is a widely used stimulus to induce anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, linked to alterations in tryptophan-kynurenine (TRP-KYN) metabolism in animals. This study assessed the effects of different CRS periods on anxiety- or depression-like behaviors and TRP-KYN metabolism along brain-gut axis in C57BL/6N mice. Results showed that one-week CRS decreased the open arm entries of mice in elevated plus maze and delayed latency of feeding in novelty suppressed feeding test. Four-week CRS reduced sucrose preference, increases forced swimming immobility time, and also induced anxiety-like behaviors of mice. UPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed decreased levels of the neurotoxic 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) and quinolinic acid (QA), and an increase in the neuroprotective kynurenic acid (KA) in the hippocampus of one-week CRS mice; meanwhile, four-week CRS mice displayed a reduction in KA and increases in 3-HK and QA. In the colon, both one-week and four-week CRS mice exhibited significant reductions in 3-HK and QA, with a marked increase of KA exclusively in four-week CRS mice. Briefly, one-week CRS only induced anxiety-like behaviors with hippocampal neuroprotection in TRP-KYN metabolism, whereas four-week CRS caused anxiety- and depression-like behaviors with neurotoxicity. In the colon, during both CRS periods, KYN was metabolized in the direction of NAD+ production. However, four-week CRS triggered intestinal inflammation risk with increased KA. Summarily, slightly short-term stress has beneficial effects on mice, while prolonged chronic stress can lead to pathological changes. This study offers valuable insights into stress-induced emotional disturbances.

Effect of organic mineral supplementation in reducing oxidative stress in Holstein calves during short-term heat stress and recovery conditions

BackgroundThis study investigated the effects of inorganic and organic minerals on physiological responses, oxidative stress reduction, and rumen microbiota in Holstein bull calves (123.81 ± 9.76 kg; 5 months old) during short-term heat stress (HS) and recovery periods. Eight Holstein calves were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: no mineral supplementation (Con), inorganic minerals (IM), organic minerals (OM), and high-concentration organic minerals (HOM) and two thermal environments (HS and recovery) using 4 × 2 factorial arrangement in a crossover design of four periods of 35 d. Calves were maintained in a temperature-controlled barn. The experimental period consisted of 14 d of HS, 14 d of recovery condititon, and a 7-d washing period.ResultsBody temperature and respiration rate were higher in HS than in the recovery conditions (P < 0.05). Selenium concentration in serum was high in the HOM-supplemented calves in both HS (90.38 μg/dL) and recovery periods (102.00 μg/dL) (P < 0.05). During the HS period, the serum cortisol was 20.26 ng/mL in the HOM group, which was 5.60 ng/mL lower than in the control group (P < 0.05). The total antioxidant status was the highest in the OM group (2.71 mmol Trolox equivalent/L), followed by the HOM group during HS, whereas it was highest in the HOM group (2.58 mmol Trolox equivalent/L) during the recovery period (P < 0.05). Plasma malondialdehyde and HSP70 levels were decreased by HOM supplementation during the HS and recovery periods, whereas SOD and GPX levels were not significantly affected (P > 0.05). The principal coordinate analysis represented that the overall rumen microbiota was not influenced by mineral supplementation; however, temperature-induced microbial structure shifts were indicated (PERMANOVA: P < 0.05). At the phylum level, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria decreased, whereas Fibrobacteres, Spirochaetes, and Tenericutes increased (P < 0.05), under HS conditions. The genus Treponema increased under HS conditions, while Christensenella was higher in recovery conditions (P < 0.05).ConclusionHOM supplementation during HS reduced cortisol concentrations and increased total antioxidant status in Holstein bull calves, suggesting that high organic mineral supplementation may alleviate the adverse effects of HS.

STRESSOR VARIETY, SEVERITY, AND IRREGULARITY AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH DAILY MEMORY LAPSES

Abstract Long-term negative impacts of chronic stress on memory has been well established; however day-to-day associations between stressors and memory have not been fully examined, with lack of understanding on specific manifestations of stressors that may degrade daily memory. This study conceptualized three patterns of daily stressors: variety, severity, and irregularity. Data came from 1,132 adults who participated in an 8-day diary study as part of the Midlife in the United States study. Participants reported 7 types of stressors (e.g., work-related, home-related, discrimination) they encountered, which was summed daily (variety). On days when a stressor was encountered, they reported how stressful it was (severity). Individual standard deviation of stressor severity across the week (irregularity) was also calculated. Memory lapses were reported with 9 items each day. Results from multi-level modeling revealed that, at the within-person level, participants reported more memory lapses on days when they had greater variety (B= 0.126, SE=0.014, p&amp;lt;.001) or higher severity (B=0.071, SE=0.014, p&amp;lt;.001) of stressors. At the between-person level, participants with greater variety (B=0.717, SE=0.052, p&amp;lt;.001), higher severity (B= 0.168, SE= 0.031, p&amp;lt;.001), or greater irregularity (B= 0.141, SE= 0.047, p=.003) of stressors reported more memory lapses on average. These results were found after controlling for sociodemographic and health covariates. These findings highlight that even short-term stress, particularly severe or inconsistent stress may have a negative impact on day-to-day memory. Potential differences between older (age 65+) and younger (below age 65) adults in the relationship between these daily stressors and memory lapses are currently being explored.

Memories of heat: autophagy and Golgi recovery

Fluctuations in temperature severely impact crop yield and trigger various plant response mechanisms. In a recent study, Zhou et al. discovered a non-canonical role of autophagy in mediating Golgi apparatus restoration after short-term heat stress (HS). Their results further suggest a critical, yet previously unknown, mechanism of autophagy-related (ATG)-8 in Golgi reassembly after HS.

A novel refined Caputo kernel and constitutive concepts for semi-exact nonlinear dynamic and creep analyses of suddenly pressurized hollow fractional-order visco-hyperelastic cylinders

Some reports have confirmed that discretizing the mass, damping, and stiffness characteristics of a continuum can result in remarkable deviations from the experimental results; as all these properties are intertwined and coupled within a single material. The viscoelastic constitutive laws with fractional-order time derivatives can model this integrity much more accurately, due to their capability of using a set of an infinite number of orders. Here, an innovative constitutive model with a nonlinear hyperelastic memory element that treats simultaneously the fractional-order viscoelasticity and Mooney-Rivlin hyperelasticity of the continuum is proposed to track the suppression of the short-term dynamic stresses and displacements and the redistribution of the long-term creep stress and deformations of the suddenly pressurized thick cylinders. While the spatial variations of the quantities of the incompressible cylinder are treated by an exact analytical approach, the resulting time-dependent system of equations is converted by a novel numerical solution scheme to an integrodifferential system that contains integer-order partial derivatives and a time-growing number of integral terms. An enhancement to Caputo's singular-kernel integral definition of the fractional-order derivatives is proposed here to replace these derivatives with equivalent integrals whose integer derivatives are computed based on second-order Taylor's expansion. The integer-order and fractional-order time derivatives are then computed numerically using the second-order Runge-Kutta and accumulation-based trapezoidal techniques, respectively. Finally, comparisons are made among the dissipative pattern and time variations of the dynamic/vibration stresses and large-deformations of the hyperelastic and fractional-order visco-hyperelastic cylinders in addition to the assessment of the effects of the constitutive parameters of the fractional-order model. Results show that while the larger magnitudes of both the nonlinear viscosity coefficients and fractional-order time derivatives diminish the resulting deformations and stresses, they respectively lead to smaller and larger frequencies of oscillation.

Simulating the Effects of Drought Stress Timing and the Amount Irrigation on Cotton Yield Using the CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton Model

Drought stress disrupts the molecular-level water balance in plants, and severe water deficiency can be fatal for cotton plants. However, mild water deficits or short-term drought stress may enhance crop resilience, increasing yields. The present study aims to determine the optimal watering time and irrigation amount to induce drought tolerance in cotton seedlings during drought training. Specifically, the investigation focuses on identifying the ideal day for watering and the corresponding irrigation volume that effectively triggers the transition of cotton plants into a state of enhanced resistance to drought stress during the seedling stage. In this study, the CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton model was utilized, and our objectives were to (i) evaluate the predictive capability of CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton for yield estimation in field experiments in Xinjiang and (ii) simulate and assess the range of time during the seedling stage when cotton plants can withstand drought stress without reducing yields, identifying irrigation strategies that induce drought training while maintaining yield under mild water deficiency. The model was validated using yield data from field experiments conducted in 2023. The validation criteria included a normalized root mean square error (nRMSE)&gt;10% and a coefficient of determination (r2)&gt;85% for yield; for the leaf area index (LAI), the criterion was (r2)&gt;90%, with a degree of agreement of (d)&gt;75%. The results demonstrated the accuracy of the CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton model in predicting cotton yield. Based on the validated CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton model, this study employed the LINUX crop model batch-processing technique to efficiently simulate 357 different irrigation strategies by adjusting the amount of “first irrigation” and timing. The findings revealed that in the irrigation scheme for cotton during the seedling stage, when the amount of first irrigation was in the lower range of 10 mm to 15 mm, the cotton plants underwent drought training during the early growth stage, and their yields did not exhibit drastic fluctuations due to reduced amounts of first irrigation. The suitable period for first irrigation for drought training was from 25 June to 6 July, and the amount of first irrigation could save approximately 57.14% in irrigation water. This implies that subjecting cotton plants to a certain level of drought training can enhance their stress tolerance and increase yields. This finding holds great significance for cotton cultivation in drought-prone regions.

Temporal differentiation in the adaptation of functional bacteria to low-temperature stress in partial denitrification and anammox system

Despite reliable nitrite supply through partial denitrification, the adaptation of denitrifying bacteria to low temperatures remains elusive in partial denitrification and anammox (PDA) systems. Here, temporal differentiations of the structure, activity, and relevant cold-adaptation mechanism of functional bacteria were investigated in a lab-scale PDA bioreactor at decreased temperature. Although distinct denitrifying bacteria dominated after low-temperature stress, both short- and long-term stresses exerted differential selectivity towards the species with close phylogenetic distance. Species Azonexus sp.149 showed high superiority over Azonexus sp.384 under short-term stress, and long-term stress improved the adaptation of Aquabacterium sp.93 instead of Aquabacterium sp.184. The elevated transcription of nitrite reductase genes suggested that several denitrifying bacteria (e.g., Azonexus sp.149) could compete with anammox bacteria for nitrite. Species Rivicola pingtungensis and Azonexus sp.149 could adapt through various adaptation pathways, such as the two-component system, cold shock protein (CSP), membrane alternation, and electron transport chain. By contrast, species Zoogloea sp.273 and Aquabacterium sp.93 mainly depended on the CSP and oxidative stress response. This study largely deepens our understanding of the performance deterioration in PDA systems during cold shock and provides several references for efficient adaptation to seasonal temperature fluctuation.

Drought priming at seedling stage improves photosynthetic performance and yield of potato exposed to a short-term drought stress

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food and vegetable crop worldwide. In recent years, the arid environment resulting from climate change has caused a sharp decline in potato yield. To clarify the effect of drought priming at the seedling stage on the tolerance of potato plants to drought stress during tuber expansion, we conducted a pot experiment to investigate the physiological response of the plants generated from seed potatoes of the variety ‘Favorita’ to varied water supply conditions: normal water supply at the seedling stage (control), normal water supply at the seedling stage and drought stress at the mid-tuber-expansion stage (non-primed), and drought priming at the seedling stage plus drought stress at the mid-tuber-expansion stage (primed). Drought priming resulted in an increase in the number of small vascular bundles in potato plants compared to non-primed plants. It also altered the shape and density of stomata, enhancing water use efficiency and reducing whole-plant transpiration. The primed plants maintained the basal stem cambium for a longer time under drought stress, which gained an extended differentiation ability to generate a greater number of small vascular bundles compared to non-primed plants. Drought priming increased the amount and rate of dry matter translocation, and so reduced the adverse effects on tubers of potato under drought stress. Therefore, drought priming at the seedling stage improved the photosynthetic performance and yield, and probably enhanced the drought tolerance of potato.

Stress-induced delay of the I-P rise of the fast chlorophyll a fluorescence transient in tomato

Fast chlorophyll a fluorescence induction curve (OJIP) provides a powerful tool for rapidly assessing the photosynthetic performance of plants. However, the application of this technology in tomato plants is scarce. Here, OJIP curve was used to evaluate the photosynthetic performance of tomato plants under chilling and drought stress, and interpretation of the obtained OJIP curves was improved. The results showed that the performance index (PI-abs) and the amplitude of I-P phase of greenhouse-grown tomato plants decreased rapidly with the decline of ambient temperatures and fluctuated with the changes in temperature during the autumn-winter transition. However, photosystem II efficacy (Fv/Fm) showed slow response. In the chambers, net photosynthetic rate (PN) and photochemical efficiency were inhibited by short-term chilling stress. The amplitudes of O-J phase and I-P phase were slightly affected by chilling stress. Interestingly, the appearance of I points of OJIP curves was delayed by chilling stress. Consequently, the corrected amplitudes of I-P phase were found to be significantly inhibited by chilling. Moreover, the corrected amplitudes of I-P phase correlated well with PN and PI-abs, during chilling and subsequent recovery. Mutation of PGR5, which is involved in cyclic electron flow, resulted in declines of photosynthetic parameters including the corrected amplitudes of I-P phase under control and chilling conditions. Under drought stress, the corrected amplitudes of I-P phase and operational photochemical efficiency [Y(II)] also progressively declined in parallel. However, Fv/Fm remained stable even when plants showed a wilting phenotype. Our results indicate that the delay of I point by stress should be considered when using the amplitude of I-P phase to reflect the status of photosynthetic apparatus in response to stress.

The RNA landscape of Dunaliella salina in response to short-term salt stress.

Using the halotolerant green microalgae Dunaliella salina as a model organism has special merits, such as a wide range of salt tolerance, unicellular organism, and simple life cycle and growth conditions. These unique characteristics make it suitable for salt stress study. In order to provide an overview of the response of Dunaliella salina to salt stress and hopefully to reveal evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of photosynthetic organisms in response to salt stress, the transcriptomes and the genome of the algae were sequenced by the second and the third-generation sequencing technologies, then the transcriptomes under salt stress were compared to the transcriptomes under non-salt stress with the newly sequenced genome as the reference genome. The major cellular biological processes that being regulated in response to salt stress, include transcription, protein synthesis, protein degradation, protein folding, protein modification, protein transport, cellular component organization, cell redox homeostasis, DNA repair, glycerol synthesis, energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, and ion homeostasis. This study gives a comprehensive overview of how Dunaliella salina responses to salt stress at transcriptomic level, especially characterized by the nearly ubiquitous up-regulation of the genes involving in protein folding, DNA repair, and cell redox homeostasis, which may confer the algae important mechanisms to survive under salt stress. The three fundamental biological processes, which face huge challenges under salt stress, are ignored by most scientists and are worth further deep study to provide useful information for breeding economic important plants competent in tolerating salt stress, other than only depending on the commonly acknowledged osmotic balance and ion homeostasis.

Under pressure-exploring partner changes, physiological responses and telomere dynamics in northern gannets across varying breeding conditions.

Life history theory predicts trade-offs between reproduction and survival in species like the northern gannet (Morus bassanus). During breeding, demanding foraging conditions lead them to expand their foraging range and diversify their diet, increasing the risk of reproductive failure. Changing partners may enhance breeding success but lead to more physiological costs. To investigate the physiological costs of reproduction upon partner changes, we measured and compared 21 biomarkers related to telomere dynamics, oxidative stress, inflammation, hematology, nutritional status, and muscle damage. We used a longitudinal approach with gannets (n=38) over three contrasting years (2017, 2018 and 2019). Our results suggest that annual breeding conditions exert a greater influence on physiological changes than partnership status. Individuals that changed partner experienced greater short-term stress than retained partners. This transient increase in stress was marked by short-term increases in oxidative lipid damage, lower antioxidant capacity, signs of inflammation, and greater weight loss than individuals that retained partners. During favorable conditions, individuals that changed mates had stabilized telomere length, decreased antioxidant capacity, glucose concentration, and muscle damage, along with increased oxygen transport capacity. Conversely, unfavorable breeding conditions led to increased telomere attrition, stabilized antioxidant capacity, decreased inflammation susceptibility, diminished oxygen transport capacity, and increased muscle damage. In the cases where partners were retained, distinct physiological changes were observed depending on the year's conditions, yet the telomere dynamics remained consistent across both partnership status categories. During the favorable year, there was an increase in unsaturated fatty acids and oxygen transport capacity in the blood, coupled with a reduction in inflammation potential and protein catabolism. In contrast, during the unfavorable year in the retained mates, we observed an increase in oxidative DNA damage, antioxidant capacity, weight loss, but a decrease in inflammation susceptibility as observed in changed mates. Our study shows that behavioral flexibility such as mate switching can help seabirds cope with the challenges of food scarcity during reproduction, but these coping strategies may have a negative impact on physiological status at the individual level. In addition, the marked reduction in telomere length observed during harsh conditions, coupled with the stabilization of telomere length in favorable conditions, highlights the long-term physiological impact of annual breeding conditions on seabirds. These findings underscore the effect on their potential survival and fitness, emphasizing that the influence of annual breeding conditions is greater than that of partnership status.

Effect of da Vinci robot versus thoracoscopic surgery on lung function and oxidative stress levels in NSCLC patients: a propensity score-matched study.

To evaluate the short-term efficacy, lung function, and oxidative stress levels between the robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery group (VATS) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We conducted a retrospective cohort study, selecting 248 NSCLC patients who underwent minimally invasive lobectomy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Gansu Provincial People's Hospital, from August 2019 to February 2023. There were 105 patients in the RATS group and 143 patients in the VATS group. The patients in the two groups were subjected to 1:1 propensity score matching analysis (PSM), and the perioperative indicators were recorded. The levels of oxidative stress factors (superoxide dismutase, SOD; malondialdehyde, MDA) and inflammatory factors were measured 1day before surgery and 3days after surgery, respectively. Pulmonary function and patient quality of life were measured at 1day preoperatively and 3months postoperatively. There are 93 patients in each group after PSM. Compared to the VATS group, the RATS group had shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, greater number and groups of lymph nodes cleared, and shorter postoperative hospital stay. The SOD level in the RATS group was higher and the MDA level was lower than that in the VATS group after surgery. Postoperative inflammatory cytokine levels were less elevated in the RATS group than in the VATS group. At 3months postoperatively, FVC%, FEV1%, and GQOLI-74 scores were higher in the RATS group than in the VATS group. Compared to VATS lobectomy, RATS lobectomy has the advantages of shorter operative time, lesser bleeding, more lymph node dissection, faster postoperative recovery, and lesser impact on postoperative lung function. It is also capable of reducing the postoperative oxidative stress and inflammatory response, which can improve patients' quality of life.