Greenhouse horticulture (protected cropping) is essential in meeting increasing global food demand under climate change scenarios by ensuring sustainability, efficiency, and productivity. Recent advances in cover materials and photovoltaic technologies have been widely examined in greenhouses to improve light transmission and solar energy capture with promoting energy-saving. We review the studies on advanced greenhouse cover materials with variable light transmittance, the effects of which on leaf photosynthesis, physiology, and yield. We provide insights into the potential key biological processes of crops responding to these light changes, specifically light receptors, signal transduction, nutrient biosynthesis pathways (e.g., carotenoids, antioxidant compounds) during fruit development and ripening. A better understanding of greenhouse cover materials with a focus towards energy-efficient cover materials equipped in greenhouse is an opportunity for better yield and higher nutrient products production in vegetables in response to global climate challenges. Interdisciplinary research on the application of novel cover materials in greenhouses and biological investigation of light-induced physiology and nutrient formation in vegetables may promote yield and health attributes for protected cultivation of vegetables with energy use efficiency.

In this study, Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla was grown in cadmium-contaminated soil in a greenhouse. Regulated deficit irrigation was applied using three different irrigation levels (T1: 300 L, T2: 200 L, T3: 100 L per block during each irrigation event during the organogenesis stage; T1 was the control) to examine the effects on phytoremediation efficiency. According to the experimental results, the regulated deficit irrigation treatment (T2) decreased the Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla shoot biomass by 15.8%, increased the Cd concentration in the shoots by 23%, and maintained a constant root-shoot ratio. By contrast, T3 decreased the Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla shoot biomass by 33.0%, decreased the Cd concentration in shoots by 9.8%, and increased the root-shoot ratio by 62.8%. The Cd remediation potential efficiency (PE) of treatment T2 was 5.42 g ha-1-i.e., 39.7% higher than that of T1 and 61.8% higher than that of T3. This study indicated that regulated deficit irrigation can be used to enhance Cd phytoremediation and save water, but should be applied in a suitable way.

Obesity and insulin resistance are significant contributors to hypertension. There is a high prevalence of obesity among Uyghurs in the rural areas of Xinjiang, China. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the association between insulin resistance indices and hypertension according to different body weights in rural Uyghur residents of Xinjiang, China. A total of 12 813 local Uyghur residents were recruited for the study. Excluding those with incomplete data and those using antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, or glycemic drugs, 9577 permanent residents were eligible for the study. Three insulin resistance indicators were calculated: triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, product of fasting triglyceride and glucose (TYG), and metabolic score for insulin resistance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between the three non-insulin-based insulin resistance indices and the risk of hypertension for different body weights. TYG was significantly associated with hypertension in the normal-weight group, particularly in women. In the obese group that was obese, all three indicators were associated with hypertension. Since TYG was associated with hypertension in the groups with normal weight and obesity, it may be useful as a reference indicator for insulin resistance. This indicator may provide a basis for the identification and management of hypertension risk among adults in the Uyghur population.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are both age-related diseases of global concern being among the most common chronic metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, respectively. While both diseases can be genetically inherited, environmental factors play a vital role in their pathogenesis. Moreover, DM and PD have common underlying molecular mechanisms, such as misfolded protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and microbial dysbiosis. Recently, epidemiological and experimental studies have reported that DM affects the incidence and progression of PD. Moreover, certain antidiabetic drugs have been proven to decrease the risk of PD and delay its progression. In this review, we elucidate the epidemiological and pathophysiological association between DM and PD and summarize the antidiabetic drugs used in animal models and clinical trials of PD, which may provide reference for the clinical translation of antidiabetic drugs in PD treatment.

Optical films that alter light transmittance may reduce energy consumption in high-tech greenhouses, but their impact on crop physiology remains unclear. We compared the stomatal responses of Capsicum plants grown hydroponically under control glass (70% diffuse light) or smart glass (SG) film ULR-80, which blocked >50% of short-wave radiation and ~9% of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). SG had no significant effects on steady-state (gs) or maximal (gmax) stomatal conductance. In contrast, SG reduced stomatal pore size and sensitivity to exogenous ABA thereby increasing rates of leaf water loss, guard cell K + and Cl - efflux, and Ca 2+ influx. SG induced faster stomatal closing and opening rates on transition between low (100 µmol m -2 s -1) and high PAR (1500 µmol m -2 s -1), which compromised water use efficiency relative to control plants. The fraction of blue light (0% or 10%) did not affect gs in either treatment. Increased expression of stomatal closure and photoreceptor genes in epidermal peels of SG plants is consistent with fast stomatal responses to light changes. In conclusion, stomatal responses of Capsicum to SG were more affected by changes in light intensity than spectral quality, and re-engineering of the SG should maximize PAR transmission, and hence CO2 assimilation.