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Arthropods and land plants are the major macroscopic sources of biodiversity on the planet. Knowledge of the organization and specialization of plant-herbivore interactions, such as their roles in food webs is important for understanding the processes for maintaining biodiversity. A limited number of studies have examined herbivory through geological time. The most have analyzed localities from one restricted interval within a geological period, or a time transition such as the Paleocene-Eocene boundary interval. In the present study, we analyzed the frequency of herbivory and density of damage type (DT) from the Middle Devonian to the early Miocene. The data were compiled from literature sources and focused on studies that describe occurrences of leaves with DTs indicating herbivore consumption as a proportion of the total number of leaves analyzed. The data were standardized based on the DT categories in the Damage Type Guide, and the age of each locality was updated based on the most recent geochronological standard and expressed in millions of years. Temperature and geological age were the best descriptors of the variation in herbivory frequency, which tended to increase at higher temperatures. Two models were equivalent to explain DT density: the interaction between CO₂ levels and geological age, and O₂ levels and geological age had the same predictive power. The density of DT tended to increase with higher content of atmospheric CO₂ and O₂ compared to modern values. The frequency of herbivory and the density of DTs appear to be influenced by long-term atmospheric variables.

Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is a common autosomal dominant genetic disease (1:250) characterized by elevated LDL-C. Patients with HeFH are at increased risk of premature atherosclerosis and have at least a 10-fold greater chance of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study examines the effect of PCSK9 inhibitor treatment (iPCSK9: arilocumab or evolocumab) on DNA damage in HeFH patients. Fifty-six patients were studied, with a normolipidemic group (control; n = 20) and patients with HeFH (study group; n = 36). DNA damage was determined by alkaline comet assay and PCSK9 protein level by ELISA. PCSK9i treatment was found to be associated with lower DNA damage, Lp(a), PCSK9, and lipid profile compared to before treatment. However, 16 of 36 patients still had Lp(a) values above 125 nmol/L, and reduced Lp(a) did not correlate with reduced DNA damage. Reduced PCSK9 demonstrated a moderately positive correlation (r = 0.48) with reduced DNA damage. PCSK9i therapy reduces the level of DNA damage in HeFH patients, regardless of the type of inhibitor. While our findings confirm that PCSK9 treatment can reduce DNA damage, the mechanism remains unclear.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is associated with oxidative stress which in turn can lead to DNA damage. The aim of the present study was to analyze oxidative stress, DNA damage and DNA repair in regard to hyperglycemic state and diabetes duration. Female T2DM patients (n = 146) were enrolled in the MIKRODIAB study and allocated in two groups regarding their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level (HbA1c≤7.5%, n = 74; HbA1c>7.5%, n = 72). In addition, tertiles according to diabetes duration (DD) were created (DDI = 6.94±3.1 y, n = 49; DDII = 13.35±1.1 y, n = 48; DDIII = 22.90±7.3 y, n = 49). Oxidative stress parameters, including ferric reducing ability potential, malondialdehyde, oxidized and reduced glutathione, reduced thiols, oxidized LDL and F2-Isoprostane as well as the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were measured. Damage to DNA was analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and whole blood with single cell gel electrophoresis. DNA base excision repair capacity was tested with the modified comet repair assay. Additionally, mRNA expressions of nine genes related to base excision repair were analyzed in a subset of 46 matched individuals. No significant differences in oxidative stress parameters, antioxidant enzyme activities, damage to DNA and base excision repair capacity, neither between a HbA1c cut off />7.5%, nor between diabetes duration was found. A significant up-regulation in mRNA expression was found for APEX1, LIG3 and XRCC1 in patients with >7.5% HbA1c. Additionally, we observed higher total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, LDL/HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, BMI and lower HDL-cholesterol in the hyperglycemic group. BMI, blood pressure and blood lipid status were worse in hyperglycemic individuals. However, no major disparities regarding oxidative stress, damage to DNA and DNA repair were present which might be due to good medical treatment with regular health checks in T2DM patients in Austria.

Reduced cellular response to insulin in skeletal muscle is one of the major components of the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Mitochondrial dysfunction involves in the accumulation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) that leads to insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to verify the involvement of mitochondrial DNA damage at ROS generation in skeletal muscle during development of T2D. Wistar rats were fed a diet containing 60% fat over 8 weeks and at day 14 a single injection of STZ (25 mg/kg) was administered (T2D-induced). Control rats received standard food and an injection of citrate buffer. Blood and soleus muscle were collected. Abdominal fat was quantified as well as glucose, triglyceride, LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol in plasma and mtDNA copy number, cytochrome b (cytb) mRNA, 8-hydroxyguanosine, and 8-isoprostane (a marker of ROS) in soleus muscle. T2D-induced animal presented similar characteristics to humans that develop T2D such as changes in blood glucose, abdominal fat, LDL, HDL and cholesterol total. In soleus muscle 8-isoprostane, mtDNA copy number and 8-hydroxyguanosine were increased, while cytb mRNA was decreased in T2D. Our results suggest that in the development of T2D, when risks factors of T2D are present, intracellular oxidative stress increases in skeletal muscle and is associated with a decrease in cytb transcription. To overcome this process mtDNA increased but due to the proximity of ROS generation, mtDNA remains damaged by oxidation leading to an increase in ROS in a vicious cycle accounting to the development of insulin resistance and further T2D.

Type 1 diabetes encompasses a spectrum of metabolic disorders marked by insulin deficiency, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels, commonly referred to as hyperglycemia. This persistent condition often precipitates lipid profile abnormalities, causing cholesterol alterations, low-and high-density lipoproteins, and triglycerides. The liver is particularly vulnerable to increased oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, which activate the transcription of pro-apoptotic genes and ultimately contribute to hepatocyte damage. This study analyzed the potential therapeutic role of raspberry ketone (RK), a natural antioxidant with antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties, in male albino rats with induced type 2 diabetes. Fifty rats were equally divided into five groups: control, rats orally administered 200 mg /kg Body Weight (BW) RK for 5 days, diabetic rats intramuscularly injected once with 60 mg/kg BW streptozotocin, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats orally administered 200 mg/kg BW RK for 5 days, and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats orally administered 100 mg/kg metformin. Streptozotocin treatment significantly affected blood biochemical parameters, lipid profiles, oxidative stress markers, immunotoxicity biomarkers, and DNA damage biomarkers. Conversely, RK efficiently ameliorated the toxic effects of streptozotocin on the liver by reducing the pathological and biochemical changes associated with diabetes through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, incorporating RK into the diet of diabetic patients can help prevent hepatocyte damage associated with diabetes. In conclusion, oral administration of RK exerts hepatoprotective effects by offering antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties against streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in male rats.

The type IV hydrogen storage tank with a polymer liner is a promising storage solution for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The polymer liner reduces the weight and improves the storage density of tanks. However, hydrogen commonly permeates through the liner, especially at high pressure. If there is rapid decompression, damage may occur due to the internal hydrogen concentration, as the concentration inside creates the pressure difference. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the decompression damage is significant for the development of a suitable liner material and the commercialization of the type IV hydrogen storage tank. This study discusses the decompression damage mechanism of the polymer liner, which includes damage characterizations and evaluations, influential factors, and damage prediction. Finally, some future research directions are proposed to further investigate and optimize tanks.

Two recent moderate earthquakes in South Korea, the 2016 M W 5.5 Gyeongju earthquake and 2017 M W 5.4 Pohang earthquake, caused damages to modern residential buildings. These events occurred with almost the same magnitude and duration in the same seismotectonic environment but exhibited remarkably different focal depths, faulting types, surface deformation, and especially structural damage features, but the reasons for these contrasts remain unknown. Furthermore, the building damage patterns are different from the natural damages, which have typical patterns depending on the fault types. It is important to understand the key reasons of these different phenomena to prevent destructive hazards from future earthquakes, particularly in densely populated intraplate regions. Here, we reveal the relationships between the geological-seismic parameters and earthquake damage features based on the patterns of building damage associated with these two events. During post-event urgent field surveys, we systematically observed en-echelon (or Riedel-type) sub-horizontal fractures in building walls associated with strike-slip motion and high-angle conjugate X-shaped fractures in building walls associated with predominantly reverse oblique-slip motion. We attribute the different patterns of earthquake damage to variations in faulting types and associated ground motions; strike-slip faulting resulting in horizontal shear and oblique-slip faulting yielding vertical ground motion. We argue that these interesting characteristics of building damage are mainly caused by stress conditions depending on the environmental change from the underground crust to the ground surface of free face. Our study highlights the importance of post-event investigations of earthquake damage to improve the level of seismic hazard assessment. Our findings from this study could serve as a reference for establishing proper anti-earthquake design and reinforcement for seismic protection.

Carinata (Brassica carinata A. Braun) is a potential crop for biofuel production, but the risk of injury resulting from carryover of soil herbicides used in rotational crops is of concern. The present study evaluated the carryover risk of imazapic and flumioxazin for carinata. Label rates of imazapic (70 g ai ha–1) and flumioxazin (107 g ai ha–1) were applied 24, 18, 12, 6, and 3 mo before carinata planting (MBP). The same herbicides were applied preemergence right after carinata planting at 1X, 0.5X, 0.25X, 0.125X, 0.063X, and 0X the label rate. When either herbicide was applied earlier than 3 MBP, there was no difference in plant density compared with the nontreated control. Carinata damage was <25% when flumioxazin or imazapic was applied at least 6 MBP in Clayton, NC (sandy loam soil), while in Jackson Springs, NC (coarser-textured soil and higher precipitation), at least 12 MPB were needed to lower plant damage to <25%. Preemergence application of 0.063X each herbicide decreased plant density by 40%, with damage reaching >25%. Quantification of herbicide residues in both soils showed that imazapic moved deeper in the soil profile than flumioxazin. This was more evident in Jackson Springs, where 0.68, 3.52, and 7.77 ng of imazapic g–1 soil were detected (15- to 20-cm depth) when the herbicide was applied at 12, 6 and 3 MBP, respectively, while no flumioxazin residues were detected at the same soil depths and times. When residues were 7.78 and 6.90 ng herbicide g–1 soil in the top 10 cm of soil for imazapic and flumioxazin, respectively, carinata exhibited at least 25% damage. Rotational intervals to avoid imazapic and flumioxazin damage to carinata should be between 6 and 12 MBP depending on soil type and environmental conditions, with longer intervals for the former than the latter.

Flood havoc during 2019 in the Sangu River basin caused widespread damage to residents, crops, roads, and communications in parts of hills in Bangladesh. Developing flood hazard maps can play an essential step in risks management. For this purpose, this study assessed 12 hydro‐geomorphological factors, namely, topographic wetness index, elevation, slope, extreme rainfall, land‐use and land‐cover, soil type, lithology, curvature, drainage density, aspect, height above the nearest drainage, and distance from streams. Maps prepared by individual application of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) exhibit validation scores ranging from 0.77 to 0.79. It is found that the ANP‐based model under 1‐day maximum rainfall denotes a reliable hazard map presenting comparable accuracy to the field results. The hazard map under 100‐year return periods shows that a total of 0.71 million population living downstream is prone to “very high” flood because of its lowland morphology, mild slope, and high drainage density. Alarmingly, 39% of roads, 43% of farming lands, and 25% of education buildings are observed to lie in the highest flood‐prone area. Details on subdistrict level exposures have the potential to serve the decision‐makers and planners in site selection for flood management strategies and setting priorities for remedial measures.

Obesity and related metabolic abnormalities in adults are associated with peripheral neuropathy. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is associated with insulin resistance, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia and glucose intolerance, all of which are risk factors for neuropathy. The aim of this study was to investigate if obese adolescents with AN have evidence of small nerve fiber damage. Adolescents with obesity with and without AN underwent body composition analysis, assessment of vibration perception threshold (VPT), monofilament sensitivity and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) to quantify corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), branch density (CNBD), length (CNFL) and inferior whorl length (IWL). Forty-six participants with obesity with (n = 31) and without (n = 15) AN aged 15(14-17) years were compared to 20 healthy controls aged 13(12-14) years. There was no difference in VPT, monofilament sensitivity and CCM measures between adolescents with obesity and controls. However, adolescents with AN had a significantly higher weight (P = 0.022), fat% (P = 0.029) and fat-muscle ratio (P = 0.012) with a lower CNFD (P = 0.045) compared to those with obesity without AN. Adolescents with obesity and acanthosis nigricans have a higher fat mass and small nerve fibre loss, indicative of a sub-clinical neuropathy.