Severe Tick Infestation in a Hare and Potential Risk for Transmitting Pathogens to Humans

Weiqing Zheng,Haiying Chen,Xiaoqing Liu,Xuejian Guo,Renlong Fu 대한기생충학열대의학회 2011 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.49 No.4

Characterization of phytochemical profile of rhizome of artificial cultured Polygonatum sibiricum with multiple rhizome buds

Cheng Weiqing,Pan Zhibin,Zheng Hanjing,Luo Gelian,Liu Zhibin,Xu Suli,Lin Junhan 한국응용생명화학회 2023 Applied Biological Chemistry (Appl Biol Chem) Vol.66 No.-

Rhizome of Polygonatum sibiricum is both a renowned traditional Chinese remedy and a commonly consumed delicacy. Due to the escalating demand and excessive overexploitation, there has been a growing interest in the artificial cultivation of this plant in recent years. To assess the therapeutic benefits of artificially cultivated P. sibiricum, it is crucial to identify and classify its phytochemical components, which are the primary bioactive compounds found in its rhizome. In this study, the phytochemical profile of an artificially cultivated P. sibiricum rhizomes with multiple rhizome buds (ACM) was characterized by using untargeted UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS based approach. In addition, two-wild-types P. sibiricum rhizomes, namely the wild-type with multiple rhizome buds (WTM) and the wild-type with single rhizome bud (WTS), were used for comparison. A total of 183 phytochemicals, including 20 alkaloids, 48 flavonoids, 33 phenolic acids, and 82 terpenoids, were tentatively identified. Generally, the phytochemical profile of ACM was comparable to that of WTM and WTS. In specific, most of the identified alkaloids and phenolic acids, and approximately half of the identified terpenoids, were not significantly different. Notably, several phytochemicals with potent therapeutic properties, such as epiberberine, laetanine, sinapic acid, curcumenol, were present in ACM. Additionally, artificial cultivation increased the abundance of geniposide and naringenin, which have been linked to cardioprotective effects. These findings provide valuable insights for the future utilization of artificially cultivated P. sibiricum.

A review of the migration mechanisms of microplastics in terrestrial environments

Hui Yu,Weiqing Zhang,Lixia Zheng,Tong Li,Chunxing Hai,Yong Wang,Tao Lyu 대한환경공학회 2024 Environmental Engineering Research Vol.29 No.5

Microplastic (MP) release into the terrestrial environment has occurred since humans started manufacturing and using plastics. These tiny plastic particles can be found in various media, including the atmosphere, soil, freshwater, sediments, and organisms. MPs migrate through terrestrial environmental media due to wind, water, gravity, and biological processes. Although the variables that affect the migration process have been investigated in various settings, the mechanisms of MP migration in terrestrial environments have yet to be systematically characterized. This study classifies the migration mechanisms of MPs as physical, chemical and biological manners, and discusses the factors affecting migration mechanisms in dynamic factors, environmental factors and MP characteristics. Examining the action mechanisms of migration can establish a foundation for understanding the migration processes of MPs and provide a theoretical framework for modeling MP movement in environmental. Future research challenges include understanding the effect of MP characteristics in the migration process and simulating the migration of MPs in the environment in the long-term. Exploring the MP migration on various spatial and temporal scales, considering the life cycle of MPs is a worthy research direction.

Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Gerbera Cultivars to Heat Stress

Wen Chen,Xiaoyun Zhu,Weiqing Han,Zheng Wu,Qixian Lai 한국원예학회 2016 원예과학기술지 Vol.34 No.1

Heat stress is an agricultural problem for Gerbera jamesonii, and it often causes poor seedling growth, reduced flower yield and undesirable ornamental characteristics of flowers. However, little is known about the effect of heat stress on the morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of gerbera plants. Here, the responses of six cultivars of Gerbera jamesonii to heat stress were investigated. Under a 1-d heat treatment at 45°C, the leaves of gerbera cultivars showed yellowing, wilting, drying and death to varying degrees. The heat treatment also resulted in increased electrical conductivity, decreased soluble protein and chlorophyll contents, and the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline in leaves. Moreover, heat tolerance differed among the six tested gerbera cultivars. Our results demonstrated that among the six gerbera cultivars, ‘Meihongheixin’ is a heat-resistant cultivar, whereas ‘Beijixing’ is a heatsensitive one. ‘Shijihong’ and ‘Linglong’ are relatively heat-resistant cultivars, and ‘Dadifen’ and ‘Taiyangfengbao’ are relatively heat sensitive.

Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Gerbera Cultivars to Heat Stress

Chen, Wen,Zhu, Xiaoyun,Han, Weiqing,Wu, Zheng,Lai, Qixian Korean Society of Horticultural Science 2016 원예과학기술지 Vol.34 No.1

Heat stress is an agricultural problem for Gerbera jamesonii, and it often causes poor seedling growth, reduced flower yield and undesirable ornamental characteristics of flowers. However, little is known about the effect of heat stress on the morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of gerbera plants. Here, the responses of six cultivars of Gerbera jamesonii to heat stress were investigated. Under a 1-d heat treatment at $45^{\circ}C$, the leaves of gerbera cultivars showed yellowing, wilting, drying and death to varying degrees. The heat treatment also resulted in increased electrical conductivity, decreased soluble protein and chlorophyll contents, and the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline in leaves. Moreover, heat tolerance differed among the six tested gerbera cultivars. Our results demonstrated that among the six gerbera cultivars, 'Meihongheixin' is a heat-resistant cultivar, whereas 'Beijixing' is a heat-sensitive one. 'Shijihong' and 'Linglong' are relatively heat-resistant cultivars, and 'Dadifen' and 'Taiyangfengbao' are relatively heat sensitive.

Dissecting Causal Relationships Between Gut Microbiota, Blood Metabolites, and Stroke: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Wang Qi,Dai Huajie,Hou Tianzhichao,Hou Yanan,Wang Tiange,Lin Hong,Zhao Zhiyun,Li Mian,Zheng Ruizhi,Wang Shuangyuan,Lu Jieli,Xu Yu,Liu Ruixin,Ning Guang,Wang Weiqing,Bi Yufang,Zheng Jie,Xu Min 대한뇌졸중학회 2023 Journal of stroke Vol.25 No.3

Background and Purpose We investigated the causal relationships between the gut microbiota (GM), stroke, and potential metabolite mediators using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods We leveraged the summary statistics of GM (n=18,340 in the MiBioGen consortium), blood metabolites (n=115,078 in the UK Biobank), and stroke (cases n=60,176 and controls n=1,310,725 in the Global Biobank Meta-Analysis Initiative) from the largest genome-wide association studies to date. We performed bidirectional MR analyses to explore the causal relationships between the GM and stroke, and two mediation analyses, two-step MR and multivariable MR, to discover potential mediating metabolites. Results Ten taxa were causally associated with stroke, and stroke led to changes in 27 taxa. In the two-step MR, <i>Bifidobacteriales</i> order, <i>Bifidobacteriaceae</i> family, <i>Desulfovibrio</i> genus, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), phospholipids in high-density lipoprotein (HDL_PL), and the ratio of apolipoprotein B to ApoA1 (ApoB/ApoA1) were causally associated with stroke (all <i>P</i><0.044). The causal associations between <i>Bifidobacteriales</i> order, <i>Bifidobacteriaceae</i> family and stroke were validated using the weighted median method in an independent cohort. The three GM taxa were all positively associated with ApoA1 and HDL_PL, whereas <i>Desulfovibrio</i> genus was negatively associated with ApoB/ApoA1 (all <i>P</i><0.010). Additionally, the causal associations between the three GM taxa and ApoA1 remained significant after correcting for the false discovery rate (all q-values <0.027). Multivariable MR showed that the associations between <i>Bifidobacteriales</i> order, <i>Bifidobacteriaceae</i> family and stroke were mediated by ApoA1 and HDL_PL, each accounting for 6.5% (<i>P</i>=0.028) and 4.6% (<i>P</i>=0.033); the association between <i>Desulfovibrio</i> genus and stroke was mediated by ApoA1, HDL_PL, and ApoB/ApoA1, with mediated proportions of 7.6% (<i>P</i>=0.019), 4.2% (<i>P</i>=0.035), and 9.1% (<i>P</i>=0.013), respectively. Conclusion The current MR study provides evidence supporting the causal relationships between several specific GM taxa and stroke and potential mediating metabolites.