Background: Increasing data suggest that subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, but there are limited data on the association of these conditions in early pregnancy with subsequent miscarriage. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we screened 3315 women at low risk for thyroid dysfunction at four to eight weeks' gestation from iodine-sufficient areas of China between January 2012 and September 2012. Thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (fT4), and the autoantibodies thyroid-peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) were measured. Based on these results, women were divided into four groups for comparison: euthyroidism (ET), isolated SCH, isolated TAI (positive TPOAb or/and TgAb), and SCH with TAI (SCH + TAI). The SCH group was stratified into two subgroups (SCH 1 and SCH 2) on the basis of the level of TSH (2.5 £ TSH < 5.22 or 5.22 £ TSH < 10 respectively). Accordingly, the SCH + TAI group was also stratified into two subgroups (SCH + TAI 1 and SCH + TAI 2). The outcome of interest was miscarriage, defined as spontaneous pregnancy loss prior to 20 weeks. Results: Compared to women with ET, the risk of miscarriage was significantly higher among women with SCH 2 (7.1% vs. .28]; p = 0.000). The gestational ages of 110 women at miscarriage were lower among women with subclinical thyroid abnormalities compared to ET (11.13 -3.21 weeks with subclinical thyroid abnormalities vs. 9.33 -1.71 weeks with ET; p = 0.024). In parallel with the higher TSH levels, there were earlier gestation ages at miscarriage between subgroups of SCH and SCH + TAI (SCH 1 vs. SCH 2: 10.79 -1.77 vs. 9.70 -1.47 weeks, p = 0.039; SCH + TAI 1 vs. SCH + TAI 2: 9.59 -1.97 vs. 8.88 -1.24 weeks, p = 0.031). Conclusions: Women with SCH and TAI are at an increased risk of miscarriage between four and eight gestational weeks. Women with a combination of SCH and TAI were found to have the highest risk and earlier gestational ages of miscarriage.

The reference range for nonpregnant women can be used for the assessment of pregnant women at 4 to 6 weeks of gestation. The upper limit of serum TSH in the first trimester was much higher than 2.5 mIU/L in Chinese pregnant women.

Exposure to a variety of environmental factors such as salinity, drought, metal toxicity, extreme temperature, air pollutants, ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation, pesticides, and pathogen infection leads to subject oxidative stress in plants, which in turn affects multiple biological processes via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. ROS include hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen, and hydrogen peroxide in the plant cells and activates signaling pathways leading to some changes of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms in cellular metabolism. Excessive ROS, however, cause oxidative stress, a state of imbalance between the production of ROS and the neutralization of free radicals by antioxidants, resulting in damage of cellular components including lipids, nucleic acids, metabolites, and proteins, which finally leads to the death of cells in plants. Thus, maintaining a physiological level of ROS is crucial for aerobic organisms, which relies on the combined operation of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. In order to improve plants’ tolerance towards the harsh environment, it is vital to reinforce the comprehension of oxidative stress and antioxidant systems. In this review, recent findings on the metabolism of ROS as well as the antioxidative defense machinery are briefly updated. The latest findings on differential regulation of antioxidants at multiple levels under adverse environment are also discussed here.

These authors contributed equally to this manuscript. SUMMARYChlorophyll degradation naturally occurs during plant senescence. However, in fruit such as citrus, it is a positive characteristic, as degreening is an important colour development contributing to fruit quality. In the present work, Citrus sinensis Osbeck, cv. Newhall fruit was used as a model for chlorophyll degradation. An ethylene response factor, CitERF13, was isolated and its transcriptional changes were closely correlated with fruit peel degreening during development or in response to ethylene. Dual-luciferase and yeast onehybrid assays, as well as motif mutation, indicated that CitERF13 directly binds to the CitPPH promoter and enhances its activity. Transient and stable over-expression of CitERF13 resulted in rapid chlorophyll degradation in Nicotiana tabacum leaves and led to accumulation of pheophorbide (Pheide) a, a metabolite of pheophorbide hydrolase (PPH). Similar results were observed from transient transformation of CitERF13 in citrus fruit peel. Moreover, this function of CitERF13 was conserved within Arabidopsis and tomato, as the homologs AtERF17 and SlERF16 similarly acted as activators of PPH genes and accelerators of chlorophyll degradation.

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Salt stress is an important constraint to lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) production in many parts of the world. Seeds of 3 lucerne varieties, cvv. Victoria, Golden Empress, and Victor, were used to investigate the effects of seed priming with 5 µm/L brassinolide on germination and seedling growth under a high level of salt stress (13.6 dS/m NaCl solution). The results showed that germination percentage, germination index, and vigour index of lucerne seeds primed with brassinolide were significantly higher than those of the non-primed seeds under salinity stress in each variety. Seed priming with brassinolide significantly increased the shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight in 2 varieties, and significantly increased the root length and root vigour in each variety. It also significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), in Victoria and Victor seedlings. During seedling growth, the primed seeds significantly reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. This suggests that priming lucerne seed with brassinolide at a suitable concentration can improve germination and seedling growth under high-saline soils.

Highlight CitAP2.10 is a novel AP2/ERF transcription factor associated with (+)-valencene content in sweet orange fruit and operates by modulating CsTPS1 transcript abundance.

An association between ID and isolated hypothyroxinemia was found in both pregnant and nonpregnant childbearing-aged women, independent of the effects of iodine and thyroid autoimmunity. We speculate that ID may be a pathogenic factor for hypothyroxinemia, even in pregnant women during the first trimester.