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‘Huaxin’ is a new high-yielding timber cultivar of Camellia oleifera of high economic value, and has been widely cultivated in the red soil hilly region of Hunan Province of the People´s Republic of China in recent years. However, its quality and production are severely affected by low temperatures during flowering. To find genes related to cold tolerance and further explore new candidategenes for chilling-tolerance, Illumina NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) technology was used to perform transcriptomic analyses of C. oleifera ‘Huaxin’ leaves under long-term cold stress. Nine cDNA libraries were sequenced, and 58.31 Gb high-quality clean reads were obtained with an average of 5.92 Gb reads for each sample. A total of 191,150 transcripts were obtained after assembly. Among them, 100,703 unigenes were generated, and 44,610 unigenes were annotated. In total, 1564 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified both in the A_B and A_C gene sets. In the current study, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed, andrevealed a group of cold-responsive genes related to hormone regulation, photosynthesis, membrane systems, and osmoregulation; these genes encoded many key proteins in plant biological processes, such as serine/threonine-protein kinase (STPK), transcription factors (TFs), fatty acid desaturase (FAD), lipid-transfer proteins (LTPs), soluble sugars synthetases, and flavonoid biosynthetic enzymes. Some physiological indicators of C. oleifera ‘Huaxin’ were determined under three temperature conditions, and the results were consistent with the molecular sequencing. In addition, the expression levels of 12 DEGs were verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In summary, the results of DEGs analysis together with qRT-PCR tests contribute to the understanding of cold tolerance and further exploring new candidate genes for chilling-tolerance in molecular breeding programs of C. oleifera ‘Huaxin’.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a long-term cold environment on growth performance, physiological behavior, biochemical blood indexes, and hormone levels in Simmental cattle. Thirty Simmental crossbred bulls (weight = 350 ± 17 kg, 13–14 months old) were selected for two trials at autumn suitable temperatures (A-ST) and winter cold temperatures (W-CT) (15 cattle per season). The results showed that compared with the A-ST group, dry matter intake (p < 0.05) and feed:gain (p < 0.01) of the W-CT group increased, while body weight (p < 0.01) and average daily gain (p < 0.01) significantly decreased. Long-term cold stress also increased lying time (p < 0.01), feeding time (p < 0.05), and pulse rate (p < 0.01) in the W-CT group, while the rumen volatile fatty acids content (p < 0.01) and apparent digestibility of nutrients (p < 0.05) were significantly decreased. In terms of blood indicators, long-term cold stress increased the concentrations of glucose, glucose metabolic enzymes, glucocorticoids, triiodothyronine, and tetraiodothyronine in the plasma of the W-CT group (p < 0.05), but the levels of triglycerides, β-hydroxybutyrate, propionate, insulin, and growth hormone were decreased (p < 0.01). In summary, long-term cold stress may inhibit the digestive function of Simmental cattle and enhance the body’s energy metabolism and stress hormone imbalance, ultimately damaging the normal growth and development of the body.

Cold-water immersion (CWI) has gained popularity as a health and wellbeing intervention among the general population. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the psychological, cognitive, and physiological effects of CWI in healthy adults. Electronic databases were searched for randomized trials involving healthy adults aged ≥ 18 years undergoing acute or long-term CWI exposure via cold shower, ice bath, or plunge with water temperature ≤15°C for at least 30 seconds. Outcomes of interest were sleep, stress, fatigue, energy, skin health, immunity, inflammation, mental wellbeing, depression, anxiety, mood, concentration, and alertness or focus. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan software (version 5.4), applying random effects models to calculate standardized mean differences (SMD) between pre- and post-CWI exposure outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using the PEDro scale. Eleven studies were included, comprising 3177 total participants and a mean PEDro score of 6.4 (n = 7 moderate quality, n = 4 high quality). CWI interventions were performed in baths (n = 10) or showers (n = 1) at temperatures ranging from 7°C to 15°C and durations ranging from 30 seconds to 2 hours. The meta-analysis revealed significant increases in inflammation immediately (SMD: 1.03, [95% CI: 0.37, 1.68], p <  0.01) and 1 hour post CWI (SMD: 1.26, [95% CI: 0.59, 1.94], p <  0.01), indicating an acute inflammatory response. A significant reduction in stress was observed 12 hours post-CWI (SMD: -1.00, [95% CI: -1.40, -0.61], p <  0.01), however, no significant effects on stress were detected immediately (SMD: -0.09 [95% CI: -0.45, 0.63], p >  0.05), 1 hour (SMD: -0.29 [95% CI: -0.66, 0.08], p >  0.05), 24 hours (SMD: -0.06 [95% CI: -0.50, 0.38], p >  0.05), or 48 hours (SMD: 0.09 [95% CI: -0.28, 0.46], p >  0.05) post-exposure. While meta-analysis showed no significant effects on immune function immediately (SMD: -0.16 [95% CI: -0.82, 0.51], p >  0.05) or 1 hour (SMD: -0.18 [95% CI: -1.09, 0.74], p >  0.05) post-CWI, narrative synthesis suggested longer-term benefits, including a 29% reduction in sickness absence among participants who took cold showers. Improvements were also observed in sleep quality and quality of life, but not mood. This systematic review suggests that CWI delivers time-dependent effects on inflammation, stress, immunity, sleep quality, and quality of life, offering potential practical applications for health practitioners considering CWI for stress management and wellbeing support. However, the current evidence base is constrained by few RCTs, small sample sizes, and a lack of diversity in study populations. Future high-quality RCTs are needed to examine the long-term effects of CWI, its impact on diverse health outcomes, and optimal CWI protocols. PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024500591).

Recent animal and human research indicates that stress around the time of encoding enhances long-term memory for emotionally arousing events but neural evidence remains unclear. In the present study we used the ERP old/new effect to investigate brain dynamics underlying the long-term effects of acute pre-encoding stress on memory for emotional and neutral scenes. Participants were exposed either to the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressure Test (SECPT) or a warm water control procedure before viewing 30 unpleasant, 30 neutral and 30 pleasant pictures. Two weeks after encoding, recognition memory was tested using 90 old and 90 new pictures. Emotional pictures were better recognized than neutral pictures in both groups and related to an enhanced centro-parietal ERP old/new difference (400-800 ms) during recognition, which suggests better recollection. Most interestingly, pre-encoding stress exposure specifically increased the ERP old/new-effect for emotional (unpleasant) pictures, but not for neutral pictures. These enhanced ERP/old new differences for emotional (unpleasant) scenes were particularly pronounced for those participants who reported high levels of stress during the SECPT. The results suggest that acute pre-encoding stress specifically strengthens brain signals of emotional memories, substantiating a facilitating role of stress on memory for emotional scenes.

Neurotoxic anticancer drugs, such as platinum-based anticancer drugs, taxanes, vinca alkaloids, and proteasome/angiogenesis inhibitors are responsible for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The health consequences of CIPN remain worrying as it is associated with several comorbidities and affects a specific population of patients already impacted by cancer, a strong driver for declines in older adults. The purpose of this review is to present a comprehensive overview of the long-term effects of CIPN in cancer patients and survivors. Pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors are also presented. Neurotoxic mechanisms leading to CIPNs are not yet fully understood but involve neuronopathy and/or axonopathy, mainly associated with DNA damage, oxidative stress, mitochondria toxicity, and ion channel remodeling in the neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Classical symptoms of CIPNs are peripheral neuropathy with a \"stocking and glove\" distribution characterized by sensory loss, paresthesia, dysesthesia and numbness, sometimes associated with neuropathic pain in the most serious cases. Several risk factors can promote CIPN as a function of the anticancer drug considered, such as cumulative dose, treatment duration, history of neuropathy, combination of therapies and genetic polymorphisms. CIPNs are frequent in cancer patients with an overall incidence of approximately 38% (possibly up to 90% of patients treated with oxaliplatin). Finally, the long-term reversibility of these CIPNs remain questionable, notably in the case of platinum-based anticancer drugs and taxanes, for which CIPN may last several years after the end of anticancer chemotherapies. These long-term effects are associated with comorbidities such as depression, insomnia, falls and decreases of health-related quality of life in cancer patients and survivors. However, it is noteworthy that these long-term effects remain poorly studied, and only limited data are available such as in the case of bortezomib and thalidomide-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Background Low temperatures disrupt nitrogen metabolism in tobacco, resulting in lower nicotine content in the leaves. 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) is a widely used plant growth regulator known for its roles in enhancing cold tolerance and nitrogen metabolism. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether EBR enhances leaf nicotine content under low temperature conditions during the mature stage of flue-cured tobacco. Results To investigate the effects of EBR on leaf nicotine content under low temperature conditions during the mature stage of ‘Yunyan 87’ flue-cured tobacco, four treatments (foliar spraying of 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg·L − 1 EBR solutions) were performed by using a single-factor randomized complete block design. The result showed that foliar spraying of different concentrations of EBR notably improve the agronomic and economic traits of flue-cured tobacco to varying degrees, as well as increase the total nitrogen and nicotine content in the tobacco leaves. 0.2 mg·L − 1 EBR treatment showed better results, with nicotine content in the middle and upper leaves after curing increasing by 11.11% and 19.90%, respectively, compared to CK. Compared to the single EBR, foliar spraying of EBR compound containing α-Cyclodextrin and Tween 80 prolongs the effect of EBR, promotes the growth and development of tobacco plants. Combining EBR with CaCl 2 and ZnSO 4 ·7H 2 O significantly enhances the cold resistance of tobacco plants. Furthermore, combining EBR with higher concentrations of KH 2 PO 4 is more effective in promoting the maturation and yellowing of the upper leaves than those with lower concentrations. Conclusions This study provides new insights that foliar application of EBR enhances leaf nicotine content under low temperature conditions during the mature stage of flue-cured tobacco by regulating cold stress tolerance. The integration of EBR with α-Cyclodextrin, Tween 80, CaCl 2 , ZnSO 4 ·7H 2 O and KH 2 PO 4 showcases a novel approach to extending the effectiveness of plant growth regulators and improving agricultural sustainability. Furthermore, these findings may be applicable to other cold-sensitive crops, offering broader benefits for improving resilience and productivity under low temperatures. However, the research focuses on two growth cycles, without investigating the long-term impact of EBR on soil health, crop sustainability, and ecosystem. And further research is needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of EBR on enhancing leaf nicotine content. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Globally distributed nonnative insects thrive by having a generalist diet and persisting across large latitudinal gradients. Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a cold-tolerant invasive species that enters reproductive diapause in temperate North American and European climates. While it can survive the acute effects of subzero (°C) temperatures, it is poorly understood how exposure to infrequent cold temperatures affects postdiapause survival and behavior. We studied the impacts of episodic cold shock at temperatures of -6 to -2 (°C) at the onset of H. halys diapause, followed by an extended overwintering period. These conditions simulated three distinct climates, with above-freezing, near-freezing, and below-freezing daily low temperatures, to explore a range of possible effects on H. halys. We measured mortality regularly and evaluated postdiapause feeding damage and fecundity in each treatment. Postdiapause survival rates ranged from 40 to 50% in all treatments, except for -6°C. At this temperature, fewer than 25% H. halys survived. Feeding damage was greatest in the warmest simulated climate. The highest number of egg masses was laid under subfreezing episodic cold shock conditions. The controlled diapause simulations suggest that brief exposure to cold temperatures as low as -4°C does not have immediate or long-term effects on H. halys mortality. Exposure to cold temperatures may, however, increase postdiapause fecundity.These data provide insight into the impacts of cold exposure on postdiapause survival, reproduction, and feeding and can help predict H. halys-related crop risk based on preceding winter conditions.

Plant subtilases, as hydrolytic enzymes, contribute to certain plant stress response pathways by cleaving precursor proteins into active peptides or through other less well-characterized mechanisms. Phytaspases represent a specific subgroup of subtilases, and their participation in rapid stress responses, particularly to herbivory attacks and drought, is already well established, in contrast to their poorly understood role in long-term responses. This study investigated the involvement of phytaspase NbSBT1.9-2 in the long-term stress responses of Nicotiana benthamiana. Plants were subjected to either mild to severe mechanical wounding or drought stress, followed by the detection of phytaspase activity and gene expression in the leaf tissue. The results revealed a distinct involvement of phytaspase in the wounding response, showing increased activity and upregulated expression correlated with the extent and recurrence of wounding. In contrast, no significant change in phytaspase activity was observed in the leaves under drought, alongside salinity and heat stress conditions. Consequently, phytaspase association with the long-term response to mechanical injury was demonstrated using N. benthamiana as a model organism.

Background The ubiquitin 26S proteasome system (UPS) selectively degrades cellular proteins, which results in physiological changes to eukaryotic cells. F-box proteins are substrate adaptors within the UPS and are responsible for the diversity of potential protein targets. Plant genomes are enriched in F-box genes, but the vast majority of these have unknown roles. This work investigated the Arabidopsis F-box gene F-BOX STRESS INDUCED 1 ( FBS1 ) for its effects on gene expression in order elucidate its previously unknown biological function. Results Using publically available Affymetrix ATH1 microarray data, we show that FBS1 is significantly co-expressed in abiotic stresses with other well-characterized stress response genes, including important stress-related transcriptional regulators. This gene suite is most highly expressed in roots under cold and salt stresses. Transcriptome analysis of fbs1–1 knock-out plants grown at a chilling temperature shows that hundreds of genes require FBS1 for appropriate expression, and that these genes are enriched in those having roles in both abiotic and biotic stress responses. Based on both this genome-wide expression data set and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis, it is apparent that FBS1 is required for elevated expression of many jasmonic acid (JA) genes that have established roles in combatting environmental stresses, and that it also controls a subset of JA biosynthesis genes. FBS1 also significantly impacts abscisic acid (ABA) regulated genes, but this interaction is more complex, as FBS1  has both positive and negative effects on ABA-inducible and ABA-repressible gene modules. One noteworthy effect of FBS1 on ABA-related stress processes, however, is the restraint it imposes on the expression of multiple class I LIPID TRANSFER PROTEIN ( LTP ) gene family members that have demonstrated protective effects in water deficit-related stresses. Conclusion FBS1 impacts plant stress responses by regulating hundreds of genes that respond to the plant stress hormones JA and ABA. The positive effect that FBS1  has on JA processes and the negative effect it has on at least some ABA processes indicates that it in part regulates cellular responses balanced between these two important stress hormones. More broadly then, FBS1 may aid plant cells in switching between certain biotic (JA) and abiotic (ABA) stress responses. Finally, because FBS1 regulates a subset of JA biosynthesis and response genes, we conclude that it might have a role in tuning hormone responses to particular circumstances at the transcriptional level.

The tropical Indian Ocean sea level displayed decadal variations in response to Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Contrasting patterns of decadal oscillation in sea level is found during the opposite phases of PDO especially in the thermocline ridge region of the Indian Ocean (TRIO; 50°E–80°E; 15°S–5°S). Epochal mean sea level rise is observed over the TRIO region during the cold phase of PDO (1958–1977), whereas epochal mean sea level fall is observed during the warm phase of PDO (1978–2002). Analysis reveals that the decadal variability in the sea level pattern in the TRIO region is in accordance with the PDO phase shifts and is primarily caused by changes in the surface forcing over the Indian Ocean as a response to PDO. The changes in the large scale Walker circulation over the tropical Indian Ocean region during the different phases of PDO support our hypothesis. The winds and wind stress curl variations associated with these large scale circulation changes are primarily inducing the observed regional decadal sea level variability over TRIO. The decadal forcing through Indonesian Through Flow (ITF; oceanic channel) however did not show any significant impact on the TRIO sea level variability. Further Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) sensitivity experiments are carried out to understand the mechanisms and the possible contribution of the Pacific Ocean through oceanic pathways, in the decadal variability of the TRIO sea level. It is noted that wave propagation from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean through ITF region has contributed to the sea level variations in the eastern Indian Ocean. But on the decadal time scale, tropical Indian Ocean/TRIO sea level is unaffected by decadal variability in the ITF. Moreover, the ITF contribution to the decadal sea level variability in the Indian Ocean is found to be significant only in the region south of 20°S.