Abstract Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have attracted increasing attention in recent decades because of their persistence, distribution, bioaccumulation, and biotoxicity in the environment. In the present study, the levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyl (PBBs) in twenty-four samples of twelve fish species collected from the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) were analyzed. The results indicated that ∑PBDE concentrations in fish muscle ranged from 22.62 pg g-1 by wet weight (ww) (yellowcheek carp) to 217.75 pg g-1 ww (yellow catfish). BDE47 and BDE209 were the most predominant congeners, with their sum accounted for 23.62-68.16% of ∑PBDEs. ∑PBB concentrations ranged from 27.83 pg g-1 ww (silver carp) to 155.75 pg g-1 ww (topmouth culter); BB49 and BB209 were detected in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 4.62 to 47.10 pg g-1 ww and 1.29 to 80.95 pg g-1 ww, respectively. There are no significant correlations between the BFRs levels and fish length (or weight) in these samples. Compared to other areas, the level of BFRs in edible fishes from TGR was low.

In a greenhouse experiment, Medicago sativa was grown in iron-rich soil inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Funelliformis mosseae, FM) and/or iron (Fe) -reducing bacteria (IRB, Klebsiella pneumoniae strain L17) with three exogenous labile C input forms (no C source, as a single dose, and as a pulse) at rates of P0 and P5 (0 and 5 mg P2O5 kg-1, KH2PO4), which is to understand the role of IRB in enhancing the Fe-P utilization with exogenous labile C in subtropical soil. The results showed when inoculated with IRB, labile C as a pulsed input significantly improved the mycorrhiza colonization and hyphal length density, and increased the shoot P content, microbial biomass C and glomalin content at P5 rate; meanwhile, the labile C input also promoted the Fe (II) production, when inoculated with IRB, labile C as a pulsed input increased the C/A extractable Fe (II), oxalate-extractable P and microbial biomass P content. These facts suggested that application of labile C as a pulsed input enhanced the ability of IRB in improving the Fe reduction and Fe-P utilization in subtropical soil.

In this study, poultry manure compost and organic fertilizer were added to soils derived from basalt, granite, and river alluvial deposits for use as soil parent materials. Following incubation periods of 30 or 60 days at 25 °C, the physical and chemical properties and adsorption characteristics of the soils were studied. The results indicated that the application of poultry manure compost or organic fertilizer increased the available phosphorus (P) and organic matter content in all soils; however, the quantity of P and organic matter decreased with an increase in incubation time. The organic materials added via the treatments reduced the strength of P adsorption by the soil derived from basalt. For soils derived from granite and river alluvial deposits, the strength of P adsorption declined after poultry manure compost was added, but increased after the application of organic fertilizer. All soil treatments derived from basalt fitted well with the three adsorption isotherm equations. For soils derived from granite and alluvial deposit as parent materials, the data conformed to the three adsorption models in the order: Langmuir > Freundlich > Temkin. The maximum phosphate buffering capacity (MPBC) and standard P retention (SPR) of soil derived from basalt decreased following the application of poultry manure or organic fertilizer, whereas changes in MPBC and SPR for soils derived from granite and alluvial deposits were dependent on the organic content and incubation time.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary vitamin combinations on the egg quality and vitamin concentrations in the eggs of commercial laying hens. A total of 1,800 25-week-old Lohman pink-shell hens were randomly assigned to four dietary vitamin treatments as follows: NRC(1994) level, NRC (1994) level with Hy.D® (25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol), Local level (current average industry level in China) and OVN® level (optimum vitamin nutrition level), with 10 replicates per treatment and 45 layers per replicate. Hens were housed in commercial laying cages with three birds per cage and given ad libitum access to feed. Results showed the hens that received the fortified vitamin levels in the OVN® treatment had a significantly (p<0.05) lower number of cracked (.47%) and dirty eggs (.27%), and increased egg deposition of vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, 25-OH-D3, vitamin E, vitamin B1, biotin and pantothenate (p<0.05). Treatments had no significant effect on egg-shape index, egg specific gravity, Haugh units and eggshell thickness. Hens fed the NRC-Hy.D® combination also experienced a significant decrease in cracked and dirty eggs (.70% and .44%, respectively) and an increased deposition of 25-OH-D3 in comparison with the NRC treatment. Results of the present study suggest that that the Local treatment was able to improve egg quality parameters of laying hens, but resulted in more cracked and dirty eggs. OVN® reduced the number of cracked eggs and dirty eggs, and improved the deposition of several vitamins in eggs. With the addition of Hy.D®, eggshell strength and 25-OH-D3 deposition in eggs were also improved, and cracked and dirty egg rates declined.

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is one of the important medicinal herbs widely used for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases in Asia. Baicalin (BA) is a bioactive anti-inflammatory flavone found abundantly in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. To explore the therapeutic potential of BA, we examined the effects of systemic administration of the flavone (5 and 10 mg/kg, ip) on relapsing/remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by proteolipid protein 139-151 in SJL/J mice, an experimental model of multiple sclerosis. The mice treated with PBS or BA at day -1 and for 3 consecutive days were observed daily for clinical signs of disease up to 60 days after immunization. In the PBS-EAE group, neurological scores were: incidence (100%), mean day of onset (8.0 ± 0.73), peak clinical score (3.0 ± 0.4), and cumulative disease index (141.8 ± 19.4). In the BA-EAE group (5 or 10 mg kg-1 day-1, respectively), incidence (95 or 90%), mean day of onset (9.0 ± 0.80 or 9.2 ± 0.75; P = 0.000), peak clinical score (2.2 ± 0.3 or 2.0 ± 0.3; P = 0.000), and cumulative disease index (75.9 ± 10.1 or 62.9 ± 8.4; P = 0.000) decreased, accompanied by the histopathological findings (decrease of dense mononuclear infiltration surrounding vascellum) for the spinal cord. Additionally, the in vitro effects of BA (5, 10, and 25 µM) on mononuclear cells collected from popliteal and inguinal lymph nodes of day-10 EAE mice were evaluated using an MTT reduction assay for cell proliferation, and ELISA to measure IFN-g and IL-4 cytokines. Compared with the control group, BA caused an increase in IL-4 (EAE-DMSO: 3.56 ± 0.42 pg/mL vs EAE-BA (5, 10, and 25 µM): 6.03 ± 1.1, 7.83 ± 0.65, 10.54 ± 1.13 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.001); but inhibited IFN-g (EAE-DMSO: 485.76 ± 25.13 pg/mL vs EAE-BA (5, 10, and 25 µM): 87.08 ± 9.24, 36.27 ± 5.44, 19.18 ± 2.93 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.001) and the proliferation of mononuclear cells (EAE-DMSO: 0.73 ± 0.021 vs EAE-BA (5, 10, and 25 µM): 0.41 ± 0.015, 0.31 ± 0.018, 0.21 ± 0.11, respectively; P < 0.001) in a concentration-dependent manner. The results suggest that BA might be effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.