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Oxysterols can be derived from the diet, physiologically produced via specific enzymes, or are generated by autoxidation. These molecules have physiological properties and can also adversely affect vital organs. Indeed, some of them have pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory activities and can lead to major pathologies. The present review focuses on oxysterols (7-ketocholesterol, 7β-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol, 5,6α-epoxycholesterol, 5,6β-epoxycholesterol, and cholestane-3β, 5α, 6β-triol) involved either in cholesterol metabolism, age-related diseases (such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and eye diseases, e.g., sarcopenia), and inflammatory diseases (especially Behcet’s disease and bowel and lung diseases (e.g., sarcoidosis, COVID-19)). Metabolic pathways associated with oxysterol-induced inflammation are discussed considering the cytokinic TLR4 pathway, non-cytokinic pathways, and the contribution of Ca2+ and K+ channels. Therapeutic approaches targeting oxysterol-induced inflammation either by natural or synthetic molecules are also presented.

Many parasitoids need to feed on sugar sources at the adult stage. Although nectar has been proven to be a source of higher nutritional quality compared to honeydew excreted by phloem feeders, the latter can provide the necessary carbohydrates for parasitoids and increase their longevity, fecundity and host searching time. Honeydew is not only a trophic resource for parasitoids, but it can also constitute an olfactory stimulus involved in host searching. In this study, we combined longevity measurements in the laboratory, olfactometry and feeding history inference of individuals caught in the field to test the hypothesis that honeydew excreted by the aphid Eriosoma lanigerum could serve as a trophic resource for its parasitoid Aphelinus mali as well as a kairomone used by the parasitoid to discover its hosts. Results indicate that honeydew increased longevity of A. mali females if water was provided. Water could be necessary to feed on this food source because of its viscosity and its coating by wax. The presence of honeydew allowed longer stinging events by A. mali on E. lanigerum. However, no preference towards honeydew was observed, when given the choice. The role of honeydew excreted by E. lanigerum on A. mali feeding and searching behavior to increase its efficiency as a biological control agent is discussed. © 2023 by the authors.

Low and high body mass index (BMI) are hypothesized to impact offspring neurodevelopment, but less is known in sub-Saharan Africa where undernutrition is highly prevalent. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal anthropometric measurements during pregnancy and neurocognitive and behavioral development in children at age 1 and 6 years, in a mother-child cohort from Benin. This prospective cohort study included surviving singletons born to pregnant women in Allada, Benin. Cognitive and motor functions of 747 and 574 children were assessed at 1 and 6 years of age, respectively, in addition to behavioral difficulties and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. Statistical analysis using multiple linear regression models tested main associations, potential mediating factors were additionally adjusted for. Total of 17%, 72.5%, 7.7% and 2.5% of women were estimated to be underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese before pregnancy, respectively. Women who were underweight had a higher median weight gain (240 [170–300]) over the course of pregnancy, compared to normal BMI women (210 [160–260]), and overweight/obese women (150 [110–240]). After exclusion of obese women, estimated prepregnancy BMI was significantly associated with higher motor scores (0.26, 95% CI 0.002–0.53) and cognitive scores (0.37, 95% CI 0.02–0.72) after adjustment for confounding factors. There was no association between gestational weight gain and offspring neurodevelopment at 1 and 6 years of age. There was no association between maternal BMI and gestational weight gain and behavior and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders at 6 years of age. Our study suggests that low BMI before pregnancy may impair short- and long-term neurocognition in children in the Beninese context. Undernutrition in childhood has great impact and efforts to adequate prevention for both child and maternal undernutrition should be enforced in low- and middle-income countries.

Many terrestrial silicate reservoirs display a characteristic depletion in Nb, which has been explained in some studies by the presence of reservoirs on Earth with superchondritic Nb/Ta. As one classical example, K-rich lavas from the Sunda rear-arc, Indonesia, have been invoked to tap such a high-Nb/Ta reservoir. To elucidate the petrogenetic processes active beneath the Java rear-arc and the causes for the superchondritic Nb/Ta in some of these lavas, we studied samples from the somewhat enigmatic Javanese rear-arc volcano Muria, which allow conclusions regarding the across-arc variations in volcanic output, source mineralogy and subduction components. We additionally report some data for an along-arc sequence of lavas from the Indonesian part of the Sunda arc, extending from Krakatoa in the west to the islands of Bali and Lombok in the east. We present major and trace element concentrations, Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotope compositions, and high-field-strength element (HFSE: Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, W) concentrations obtained via isotope dilution and MC-ICP-MS analyses. The geochemical data are complemented by melting models covering different source compositions with slab melts formed at variable P–T conditions. The radiogenic isotope compositions of the frontal arc lavas in combination with their trace element systematics confirm previously established regional variations of subduction components along the arc. Melting models show a clear contribution of a sediment-derived component to the HFSE budget of the frontal arc lavas, particularly affecting Zr–Hf and W. In contrast, the K-rich rear-arc lavas tap more hybrid and enriched mantle sources. The HFSE budget of the rear-arc lavas is in particular characterized by superchondritic Nb/Ta (up to 25) that are attributed to deep melting involving overprint by slab melts formed from an enriched garnet–rutile-bearing eclogitic residue. Sub-arc slab melting was potentially triggered along a slab tear beneath the Sunda arc, which is the result of the forced subduction of an oceanic basement relief ~ 8 Myr ago as confirmed by geophysical studies. The purported age of the slab tear coincides with a paucity in arc volcanism, widespread thrusting of the Javanese basement crust as well as the short-lived nature of the K-rich rear-arc volcanism at that time.

Agroecology involves various approaches to solve actual challenges of agricultural production. Though agroecology initially dealt primarily with crop production and protection aspects, in recent decades new dimensions such as environmental, social, economic, ethical and development issues are becoming relevant. Today, the term ‘agroecology’ means either a scientific discipline, agricultural practice, or political or social movement. Here we study the different meanings of agroecology. For that we analyse the historical development of agroecology. We present examples from USA, Brazil, Germany, and France. We study and discuss the evolution of different meanings agroecology. The use of the term agroecology can be traced back to the 1930s. Until the 1960s agroecology referred only as a purely scientific discipline. Then, different branches of agroecology developed. Following environmental movements in the 1960s that went against industrial agriculture, agroecology evolved and fostered agroecological movements in the 1990s. Agroecology as an agricultural practice emerged in the 1980s, and was often intertwined with movements. Further, the scales and dimensions of agroecological investigations changed over the past 80 years from the plot and field scales to the farm and agroecosystem scales. Actually three approaches persist: (1) investigations at plot and field scales, (2) investigations at the agroecosystem and farm scales, and (3) investigations covering the whole food system. These different approaches of agroecological science can be explained by the history of nations. In France, agroecology was mainly understood as a farming practice and to certain extent as a movement, whereas the corresponding scientific discipline was agronomy. In Germany, agroecology has a long tradition as a scientific discipline. In the USA and in Brazil all three interpretations of agroecology occur, albeit with a predominance of agroecology as a science in the USA and a stronger emphasis on movement and agricultural practice in Brazil. These varied meanings of the term agroecology cause confusion among scientists and the public, and we recommend that those who publish using this term be explicit in their interpretation.

Temporary rivers are characterized by shifting habitats between flowing, isolated pools, and dry phases. Despite the fact that temporary rivers are currently receiving increasing attention by researchers and managers, the isolated pools phase has been largely disregarded. However, isolated pools in temporary rivers are transitional habitats of major ecological relevance as they support aquatic ecosystems during no-flow periods, and can act as refugees for maintaining local and regional freshwater biodiversity. Pool characteristics such as surface water permanence and size, presence of predators, local physicochemical conditions, time since disconnection from the river flow, or distance to other freshwater habitats challenge a comprehensive understanding of the ecology of these habitats, and challenge ecological quality assessments and conservation practices in temporary rivers. In this paper, we aim at providing a characterization of isolated pools from a hydrological, geomorphological, physicochemical, biogeochemical, and biological point of view as a framework to better conceptualize, conserve, and manage these habitats.

Comprehensive knowledge of the effects of disturbances on biodiversity is crucial for conservation and management, not least because ecosystems with low biodiversity may be the most vulnerable. In rivers, the role of disturbance in shaping aquatic biodiversity has mainly focused on floods. Perennial rivers (PRs) often flood, whereas intermittent rivers (IRs) flood, stop flowing and dry. Despite the recent and significant increase in research on IRs, controversy remains about whether they are more or less biodiverse than PRs. Our aim was to determine (Q1) if PRs and IRs differ in biodiversity and (Q2) if the direction and magnitude of the differences (effect sizes) are related to environmental (climate, season, habitat, longitudinal zonation and anthropogenic disturbance) and/or biological factors (taxonomic group). We conducted a meta-analysis on 44 published studies of PR and IR biodiversity that had replicated data. We applied random effects models to the data to obtain weighted mean effect sizes for differences between PRs and IRs, and their confidence intervals, by first considering all studies and then by splitting studies into groups on the basis of the above factors. We found that biodiversity was significantly higher in PRs than in IRs (Q1). We also detected significant differences (PRs> IRs) in studies of macroinvertebrates, in those conducted within arid and temperate climates, dry and wet sampling seasons, headwaters, and regions subject to different levels of anthropogenic disturbance (Q2). Our meta-analysis suggests that the expected increase in the prevalence of IRs in certain regions of the world due to global change could result in a decrease in freshwater biodiversity. To better manage and preserve aquatic biodiversity under future global change scenarios and to avoid potential ecosystem consequences of biodiversity loss, conservation efforts should be targeted towards those environmental conditions or taxonomic groups with significant differences (PRs > IRs).

This study focuses on the enzymatic hydrolysis of hemoglobin, the main component of cruor that gives blood its red color in mammals. The antibacterial and antioxidant potentials of human hemoglobin hydrolysates were evaluated in comparison to bovine hemoglobin. The results showed strong antimicrobial activity of the peptide hydrolysates against six bacterial strains, independent of the initial substrate concentration level. The hydrolysates also showed strong antioxidant activity, as measured by four different tests. In addition, the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the human and bovine hemoglobin hydrolysates showed little or no significant difference, with only the concentration level being the determining factor in their activity. The results of the mass spectrometry study showed the presence of a number of bioactive peptides, the majority of which have characteristics similar to those mentioned in the literature. New bioactive peptides were also identified in human hemoglobin, such as the antibacterial peptides PTTKTYFPHF (α37-46), FPTTKTYFPH (α36-45), TSKYR (α137-141), and STVLTSKYR (α133-141), as well as the antioxidant TSKYR (α137-141). According to these findings, human hemoglobin represents a promising source of bioactive peptides beneficial to the food or pharmaceutical industries.

Background: Plant and soil microbiomes can interfere with pathogen life cycles, but their influence on disease epidemiology remains understudied. Here, we analyzed the relationships between plant and soil microbiomes and longterm epidemiological records of grapevine downy mildew, a major disease caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola. Results: We found that certain microbial taxa were consistently more abundant in plots with lower disease incidence and severity and that the microbial community composition could predict disease incidence and severity. Microbial diversity was not strongly linked to epidemiological records, suggesting that disease incidence and severity is more related to the abundance of specific microbial taxa. These key taxa were identified in the topsoil, where the pathogen's oospores overwinter, and in the phyllosphere, where zoospores infect leaves. By contrast, the leaf endosphere, where the pathogen's mycelium develops, contained few taxa of interest. Surprisingly, the soil microbiota was a better predictor of disease incidence and severity than the leaf microbiota, suggesting that the soil microbiome could be a key indicator of the dynamics of this primarily aerial disease. Conclusion: Our study integrates long-term epidemiological data with microbiome profiles of healthy plants to reveal fungi and bacteria relevant for the biocontrol of grapevine downy mildew. The resulting database provides a valuable resource for designing microbial consortia with potential biocontrol activity. The framework can be applied to other crop systems to guide the development of biocontrol strategies and reduce pesticide use in agriculture.

Summary Here, we describe a worldwide haplotype map for soybean (GmHapMap) constructed using whole‐genome sequence data for 1007 Glycine max accessions and yielding 14.9 million variants as well as 4.3 M tag single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). When sampling random subsets of these accessions, the number of variants and tag SNPs plateaued beyond approximately 800 and 600 accessions, respectively. This suggests extensive coverage of diversity within the cultivated soybean. GmHapMap variants were imputed onto 21 618 previously genotyped accessions with up to 96% success for common alleles. A local association analysis was performed with the imputed data using markers located in a 1‐Mb region known to contribute to seed oil content and enabled us to identify a candidate causal SNP residing in the NPC1 gene. We determined gene‐centric haplotypes (407 867 GCHs) for the 55 589 genes and showed that such haplotypes can help to identify alleles that differ in the resulting phenotype. Finally, we predicted 18 031 putative loss‐of‐function (LOF) mutations in 10 662 genes and illustrated how such a resource can be used to explore gene function. The GmHapMap provides a unique worldwide resource for applied soybean genomics and breeding.