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Prunus (P.) humilis is a small woody shrub that has been widely planted in northern China due to its high nutritional value and resistance to environmental abiotic stress. However, little information about the responses of photosynthetic performance and the anatomical structure of P. humilis to saline–alkaline stress (SAS) under field conditions is available. Here, we investigated the behavior of the photosynthetic apparatus of P. humilis by measuring the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters under moderate (MS) and severe (SS) saline–alkaline stress and analyzing their relationship to leaf anatomical traits. The results showed that SAS significantly decreased the net photosynthetic rate (An) but increased the substomatal CO2 concentration (Ci). The maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) and the efficient quantum yield of PSII [Y(II)] decreased under MS and SS conditions, and this decrease was greater in the distal (tip) than in the proximal (base) leaf. Compared to the leaf tip, the base of P. humilis leaves seemed to have a stronger ability to cope with MS, as was made evident by the increased quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation in PSII [Y(NPQ)] and decreased excitation pressure (1-qP). Under MS and SS conditions, the shapes of the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient (OJIP) changed markedly, accompanied by decreased PSII acceptor-side and donor-side activities. The palisade–spongy tissue ratio (PT/ST) increased significantly with increasing stress and showed a significant correlation with the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in the leaf base. These results suggested that the activity of PSII electron transfer in the upper leaf position tended to be more sensitive to saline–alkaline stress, and a chlorophyll fluorescence analysis proved to be a good technique to monitor impacts of saline–alkaline stress on photosynthetic function, which may reflect the non-uniformity of leaf anatomy. In addition, among the anatomical structure parameters, the palisade–spongy tissue ratio (PT/ST) can be used as a sensitive indicator to reflect the non-uniform of photosynthetic function and leaf anatomy under stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources are scarce, and secondary soil salinization is severe in the Hetao Irrigation District. Farmland shelterbelt systems (FSS) play a critical role in regulating soil water and salt dynamics within the irrigation district. However, the understanding of soil water and salt migration within FSS during the freeze–thaw period remains unclear due to the complex and multifaceted interactions between water and salt. This study focused on a typical FSS and conducted comprehensive monitoring of soil moisture, salinity, temperature, and meteorological parameters during the freeze–thaw period. The results revealed consistent trends in air temperature and soil temperature overall. Soil freezing durations exceeded thawing durations, and both decreased with an increasing soil depth. At the three critical freeze–thaw nodes, the soil moisture content at a 0–20 cm depth was significantly lower than at a 40–100 cm depth (p < 0.05). The soil water content increased with time and depth at varying distances from the shelterbelt, with an average increase of 7.63% after freezing and thawing. The surface water content at the forest edge (0.3H, 4H) was lower than inside the farmland (1H, 2H, 3H). Soil salt accumulation occurred during both freezing stable periods and melting–thawing periods in the 0–100 cm soil layer near the forest edge (0.3H, 4H), with the highest soil salinity reaching 0.62 g·kg−1. After the freeze–thaw period, the soil salt content in each layer increased by 11.41–47.26% compared to before the freeze–thaw period. Salt accumulation in farmland soil near the shelterbelt was stronger than in the far shelterbelt. The multivariate statistical model demonstrated goodness of fit for soil water and salt as 0.94 and 0.72, respectively, while the BP neural network model showed goodness of fit for soil water and salt as 0.82 and 0.85, respectively. Our results provide an efficient theoretical basis for FSS construction and agricultural water management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Vacuum packaging has the ability to reduce oxidative deterioration and microbial‐induced spoilage of meat. However, in an oxygen‐free environment, it can lead to the development of an unappealing purplish‐red color and a decrease in the water‐holding capacity of meat, thereby impacting the overall meat quality. Portulaca oleracea L. (POL) is a homology of medicine and food known for its exceptional antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. RESULTS: The aim of our present study was to investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial ability of n‐butanol phase extract of POL and the effect of POL extract incorporation on the quality (water‐holding capacity, shear force, color, and texture) and physicochemical (pH, total volatile base nitrogen, and total viable counts) attributes of vacuum‐packed seasoned steaks at 4 °C over a 15‐day period. Results showed that the POL extract had excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity. Furthermore, the addition of POL extract significantly inhibited protein oxidation and microbial growth of steaks (P < 0.05), and improved the water‐holding capacity, color properties, and tenderness (P < 0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the color, water‐holding capacity, or tenderness between the 0.5 and 1 g kg−1 POL extract treatment groups compared to the sodium nitrite control group. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that POL extract had the potential to replace sodium nitrite due to its ability to hinder protein oxidation and microbial growth of vacuum‐packed seasoned steaks, while enhancing the color, water‐holding capacity, and tenderness of seasoned steaks. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Pediatric native kidney diseases are common worldwide. The pathological diagnosis of kidney lesions is crucial for clinical treatment and prognosis. The aim of the current study was therefore to evaluate the value of electron microscopy (EM) to the final diagnosis of native kidney biopsies in children. Methods A retrospective evaluation of 855 pediatric kidney biopsies obtained from the Department of Pediatrics in Peking University First Hospital between November 2010 and December 2017 was performed to assess the contribution of EM to the final diagnosis. Results The role of EM in the final diagnosis was determined to be crucial in 300 cases (35.1%), important in 280 cases (32.7%), and auxiliary in 275 cases (32.2%). EM is considered most valuable in a large percentage of glomerular diseases, mainly including minimal change disease, early-stage membranous nephropathy, postinfectious glomerulonephritis, Alport syndrome, thin basement membrane nephropathy, and thrombotic microangiopathy. EM also provided helpful diagnostic information in cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, lupus nephritis, IgA nephropathy, and IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis). Additionally, EM was crucial in 90.0% of cases of subtle pathological changes observed with light microscopy (LM) and immunofluorescence (IF) and in 69.3% of the IF-negative specimens. Patients with nephrotic syndrome or hematuria also benefit from ultrastructural examination. Conclusions The present study demonstrated the crucial or important role of EM in the diagnosis of a majority of native kidney biopsies in children. The application of EM should be integrated together with LM and IF as a routine method of assessing pediatric kidney specimens., Author(s): Xu Zhang [sup.1] , Jin Xu [sup.1] , Huijie Xiao [sup.2] , Yong Yao [sup.2] , Hui Wang [sup.1] , Yali Ren [sup.1] , Mingming Liu [sup.3] [sup.4] , [...]

Monitoring the water pollution level in real time is the most critical issue for protecting the water quality of water reservoirs. Due to the restrictions on flight areas of Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAV), four sensitive regions with the area of 1–2 km2 were first selected in this study based on the spatial distribution of total nitrogen (TN) concentration changes estimated by the Landsat remote sensing data. And then twelve machine learning algorithms including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Bayesian Ridge Regression (BRR), Lasso Regression (Lasso), Elastic Net (EN), Linear Regression (LR), Decision Tree Regression (DTR), K Neighbors Regression (KNR), Random Forest Regression (RFR), Extra Trees Regression (ETR), AdaBoost Regression (ABR) and Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR) were compared to construct a more accurate retrieval model by using the UAV hyper spectral remote sensing and ground monitoring data. And then the TN concentration was estimated after the process of dimensionality reduction and compressed sensing denoing. Finally, spatial heterogeneity of the TN concentration was analyzed in four sensitive areas of the Miyun reservoir. The results demonstrated that among the tested algorithms the Extra Trees Regression was best suitable for the construction of a TN concentration retrieval model on the basis of UAV hyper spectral data, and its absolute squared error was 0.000065. The spatial distribution of the TN showed that the concentration was highest within the water area of the Bulaotun village and the Houbajiazhuang village, while it was relatively low for the Chao river dam and Bai river dam. Additionally, no significant differences regarding the concentrations were shown in the single UAV flight area except the Houbajia village, which indicated that the water quality in Miyun reservoir was relatively stable and changed in a small interval. These conclusions can provide scientific references for water quality monitoring and management in the water reservoir.

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The deterioration of farmland shelterbelts in the Ulan Buh desert oases could weaken their protective functions. Therefore, an accurate method is essential to assess tree decline degree in order to guide the rejuvenation and transformation of these shelterbelts. This study selected three typical farmland shelterbelts in the Ulan Buh desert oases as the objects. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and airborne hyperspectral imagery (AHI) were used to acquire point cloud data and detailed spectral information of trees. Point cloud and spectral characteristics of trees with varying decline levels were analyzed. Six models were constructed to identify decline degree of shelterbelts, and model accuracy was evaluated. The coefficient of determination between the structural parameters of trees extracted by TLS and field measurements ranged from 0.76 to 0.94. Healthy trees outperformed declining trees in structural parameters, particularly in tridimensional green biomass and crown projection area. Spectral reflectance changes in the 740–950 nm band were evident among the three tree types with different decline levels, decreasing significantly with increased decline level. Among the TLS-derived feature parameters, the canopy relief ratio of tree points and point cloud density strongly correlated with the degree of tree decline. The plant senescence reflectance index and normalized difference vegetation index exhibited the closest correlation with tree decline in AHI data. The average accuracy of the models constructed based on the feature parameters of LiDAR, AHI, and the combination of both of them were 0.77, 0.61, and 0.81, respectively. The light gradient-boosting machine model utilizing TLS–AHI comprehensive feature parameters accurately determined tree decline. This study highlights the efficacy of employing feature parameters derived from TLS alone to accurately identify tree decline. Combining feature parameters from the TLS and AHI enhances the precision of tree decline identification. This approach offers guidance for decisions regarding the renewal and transformation of declining farmland shelterbelts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alport syndrome (AS) is a progressive renal disease characterized by hematuria and progressive renal failure. X‐linked dominant (XLAS) is the major inheritance form, accounting for almost 80% of the cases, caused by mutations in COL4A5 genes. Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common genetic cause of human male gonadal dysgenesis. AS and KS are both rare disease, there are only three cases of combined AS and KS in the literatures. Fanconi syndrome (FS) caused by AS is also very rare. We report here the first case combined AS, KS and FS in a Chinese boy. We suggest that the severe renal phenotype and FS might be due to the two homozygous COL4A5 variants in our boy, and cases of AS combined KS will be good research objects for X chromosome inactivation. Summary at a Glance: Alport syndrome (AS) is a progressive renal disease characterized by hematuria and progressive renal failure. There are only three case reports of combined AS and Klinefelter syndrome (KS) in the literature. Fanconi syndrome (FS) caused by AS is also very rare. We report here the first case combined AS, KS and FS in a Chinese boy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the growth decline and health status oi farmland protective forest belt ( Populus alba var. pyramidalis and Populus simonii shelterbelts) in Ulanbuh Desert Oasis by using airborne hyperspectral and ground- based LiDAR to collect the hyperspectral images and point cloud data oi the whole forest belt respectively. Through correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis, we constructed the evaluation model of the decline degree of farmland protection forest with the spectral differential value, vegetation index, and forest structure parameters as independent variables and the tree canopy dead branch index of the field survey as dependent variables. We further tested the accuracy of the model. The results showed that the evaluation accuracy of the decline degree of P. alba var. pyramidalis and P. simonii by LiDAR method was better than that by hyperspectral method, and that the evaluation accuracy of the combined LiDAR and hyperspectral method was the highest. Using the LiDAR method, hyper- spectral method, the combined method, the optimal model of P. alba var. pyramidalis was all light gradient boosting machine model, with the overall classification accuracy being 0.75, 0.68, 0.80, and Kappa coefficient being 0.58, 0.43, 0.66, respectively. The optimal model of P. simonii was random forest model, random forest model, and multilayer perceptron model, with the overall classification accuracy being 0.76, 0.62, 0.81, and Kappa coefficient being 0.60, 0.34, 0.71, respectively. This research method could accurately check and monitor the decline of plan-tations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosystem II (PSII) of grapevine leaves is easily damaged under heat stress, but no such injury is observed when the leaves are heated in low light. To elucidate the mechanisms, we compared the photosynthetic characteristics of grapevine seedlings under heat treatments (42 °C) for 4 h in the dark or low light (200 μmol m−2 s−1). At 42 °C in the dark, the PSII maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) decreased significantly with the increase in time but did not change much in low light. The JIP (chlorophyll a fluorescence rise kinetics) test results showed that low light significantly alleviated the damage to the oxygen evolving complexes (OECs; the K-step was less visible) by heat stress. Further, in the presence of de novo D1 protein synthesis inhibitor chloramphenicol, Fv/Fm did not differ significantly between dark and light treatments under heat stress. The 50% re-reduction (RR50) of P700+ on cessation of far-red illumination was faster after light treatment than that in the dark. After exposure to 25 °C in a low light for 15 min, Y(NO) (the constitutive non-regulatory non-photochemical quenching) treated by heat stress and darkness was higher than that by heat stress and light. Overall, our results suggested that enhanced CEFs around PSI in low light could assist PSII against heat damage by maintaining the rate of PSII repair and inhibiting the non-radiative charge recombination in PSII reaction centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the water source for ecological restoration plants in arid region is still up to debate. To address this issue, we conducted an in-situ experiment in the Ulan Buh Desert of China. We selected Tamarisk, a common drought-salt-tolerance species in the desert for ecological restoration as our research subject, used a new designed lysimeter to monitor precipitation infiltration, a sap flow system to track reverse sap flow that occurred in shoot, branch, and stem during the precipitation event, and observed the precipitation redistribution process of the Tamarisk plot. The results showed that Tamarisk indeed directly absorb precipitation water, when precipitation occurs, the main stem, lateral branch, and shoot all show the signs of reversed sap flow, and the reversed sap flow accounted for 21.5% of the annual sap flow in the shoot and branch, and 13.6% in the stem. Precipitation event in desert was dominated by light precipitation events, which accounted for 81% of the annual precipitation events. It was found that light precipitation can be directly absorbed by the Tamarisk leaves, especially in nighttime or cloudy days. Even when the precipitation is absent, it was found that desert plants can still absorb unsaturated atmospheric vapor, as reversed sap flow was observed when the atmospheric relative humidity reached 75%. This study indicated that the effect of light precipitation on desert plants was significant and should not be overlooked in terms of managing the ecological and hydrological systems in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A digital library is a digital information resource system supported by modern high technology, a next-generation information resource management model on the Internet, and the result of the digitization of library collections, and with the development of society and the accelerated pace of people's lives, people cannot spend too much time classifying and finding books, so the study of book classification and quick finding in university libraries is very important. This paper mainly researches and analyzes the classification and quick search of books in the university library through the algorithms and methods of digital information technology and finds a better algorithm. This paper mainly conducts experiments on automatic text and support vector machine (one-to-many and global optimization) methods and compares the obtained experimental data, such as classification accuracy, classification time, search time, and other data. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy of these three classification methods is in the range of 86%–94%. However, compared with the two methods of automatic text classification and one-to-many classification, the global optimization classification has the highest accuracy in the sample size of each interval. Among them, the classification time is the lowest for automatic text classification, which is less than 30s, and the one-to-many classification sample takes the most time, and their average fitness is in the range of 24%–27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northwest China is significantly affected by sandstorm disasters. To mitigate the negative impacts of sandstorm events, it is critical to understand the spatio-temporal variations in typical sand and dust storms and their influencing factors. In this work, using ground-based measurements of particulate matter and remote sensing data such as MODIS, OMI, and CALIPSO data, the sources of aerosol pollution and aerosol optical properties of a typical sandstorm event that occurred in Northwest China in 2018 was studied. In addition, the HYSPLIT model was used to explore the air mass trajectories in order to analyze the sand and dust migration process during the sandstorm event. Furthermore, the wind erosion sensitivity of Northwest China was analyzed via single factor analysis and multi-factor superposition of wind field intensity, soil drought index, vegetation coverage, and relief amplitude. Finally, the region of the study area having a high comprehensive wind erosion sensitivity was identified. The results showed that the PM10 concentrations exceeded 400 µg/m3 and the PM2.5/PM10 ratio did not exceeded 0.6 during the sandstorm event, indicating that natural particulate matter was dominant in the ambient air. At the epicenter of pollution, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm was 0.75–1. By combining AOD data with wind speed and direction data from field observation stations, it was found that the sandstorm event in 2018 mainly occurred between 1 April and 3 April, and affected all of Northwest China on 2 April and 3 April. The absorbed aerosol index (AAI) ranged between 2.5 and 4, indicating that the Taklimakan Desert was the main source of sandstorm events in Northwest China. The CALIPSO total attenuated backscatter coefficient at 532 nm indicated that the main component of tropospheric aerosol in this region was distributed in the range of 0–12.5 km. The simulated airflow track showed that it had the same dust source regions as AAI index studies. Moreover, investigation of wind erosion sensitivity in the study areas indicated that the Taklimakan Desert and other desert regions were the main ecologically sensitive areas. These conclusions can provide references and suggestions for the mitigation of damage caused by sandstorm events, in addition to the enhancement of ecological governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a risk factor for various renal problems like recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), pyelonephritis, renal scarring, hypertension, and other renal parenchymal defects. The interventions followed by pediatricians include low-dose antibiotic treatment, surgical correction, and endoscopy. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the advantages and drawbacks of various primary VUR treatment options. Search Strategy: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, reference lists of journals, and abstracts from conference proceedings were all used to find randomized controlled trials. The articles were retrieved from 1985 till 2020. Twenty articles were used for the data analysis. Criteria for Selection: Surgery, long-term antibiotic prophylaxis, noninvasive techniques, and any mix of therapies are also options for treating VUR. Collection and Interpretation of Data: Two authors searched the literature separately, determining research qualifications, assessing accuracy, and extracting and entering results. The odds ratio (OR) of these studies was used to construct the forest plot. The random-effects model was used to pool the data. Also, the random-effects model was used with statistical significance at a p value < 0.05 to assess the difference in side effects after treatment of VUR using different modalities. Results: We found no statistically significant differences between surgery plus antibiotics and antibiotic alone-treated patients in terms of recurrent UTIs (OR = 0.581; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.259–1.30), renal parenchymal defects (OR = 1.149; 95% CI 0.75–1.754), and renal scarring (OR = 1.042; 95% CI 0.72–1.50). However, the risk of developing pyelonephritis after surgical treatment of VUR was lesser than that in the conservative approach, that is, antibiotics (OR = 0.345; 95% CI 0.126–0.946.), positive urine culture (OR = 0.617; 95% CI 0.428–0.890), and recurrent UTIs were more common in the placebo group than in the antibiotic group (p < 0.05; OR = 0.639; 95% CI 0.436–0.936) which is statistically significant. Conclusion: Based on current research, we recommend that a child with a UTI and significant VUR be treated conservatively at first, with surgical care reserved for children who have issues with antimicrobials or have clinically significant VUR that persists after several years of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal hypodysplasia and cystic kidney diseases, the common non-glomerular causes of pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD), are usually diagnosed by their clinical and imaging characteristics. The high degree of phenotypic heterogeneity, in both conditions, makes the correct final diagnosis dependent on genetic testing. It is not clear, however, whether the frequencies of damaged alleles vary among different ethnicities in children with non-glomerular CKD, and this will influence the strategy used for genetic testing. In this study, 69 unrelated children (40 boys, 29 girls) of predominantly Han Chinese ethnicity with stage 2–5 non-glomerular CKD caused by suspected renal hypodysplasia or cystic kidney diseases were enrolled and assessed by molecular analysis using proband-only targeted exome sequencing and array-comparative genomic hybridization. Targeted exome sequencing discovered genetic etiologies in 33 patients (47.8%) covering 10 distinct genetic disorders. The clinical diagnoses in 13/48 patients (27.1%) with suspected renal hypodysplasia were confirmed, and two patients were reclassified carrying mutations in nephronophthisis (NPHP) genes. The clinical diagnoses in 16/20 patients (80%) with suspected cystic kidney diseases were confirmed, and one patient was reclassified as carrying a deletion in the hepatocyte nuclear factor-1-beta gene (HNF1B). The diagnosis of one patient with unknown non-glomerular disease was elucidated. No copy number variations were identified in the 20 patients with negative targeted exome sequencing results. NPHP genes were the most common disease-causing genes in the patients with disease onsets above 6 years of age (14/45, 31.1%). The children with stage 2 and 3 CKD at onset were found to carry causative mutations in paired box gene 2 (PAX2) and HNF1B gene (11/24, 45.8%), whereas those with stage 4 and 5 CKD mostly carried causative mutations in NPHP genes (19/45, 42.2%). The causative genes were not suspected by the kidney imaging patterns at disease onset. Thus, our data show that in Chinese children with non-glomerular renal dysfunction caused by renal hypodysplasia and cystic kidney diseases, the common causative genes vary with age and CKD stage at disease onset. These findings have the potential to improve management and genetic counseling of these diseases in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both Pierson syndrome (PS) and isolated nephrotic syndrome can be caused by LAMB2 biallelic pathogenic variants. Only 15 causative splicing variants in the LAMB2 gene have been reported. However, the pathogenicity of most of these variants has not been verified, which may lead to incorrect interpretation of the functional consequence of these variants. Methods: Using high‐throughput DNA sequencing and Sanger sequencing, we detected variants in a female with clinically suspected PS. A minigene splicing assay was performed to assess the effect of LAMB2 intron 20 c.2885‐9C>A on RNA splicing. We also performed the immunohistochemical analysis of laminin beta‐2 in kidney tissues. Results: Two novel LAMB2 heteroallelic variants were found: a paternally inherited variant c.2885‐9C>A in intron 20 and a maternally inherited variant c. 3658C>T (p. (Gln1220Ter)). In vitro minigene assay showed that the variant c.2885‐9C>A caused erroneous integration of a 7 bp sequence into intron 20. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the absence of glomerular expression of laminin beta‐2, the protein encoded by LAMB2. Conclusion: We demonstrated the impact of a novel LAMB2 intronic variant on RNA splicing using the minigene assay firstly. Our results extend the mutational spectrum of LAMB2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camptothecin (CPT) is a cytotoxic quinoline alkaloid isolated from the bark and branches of the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata. CPT inhibits topoisomerase I. It possesses various antitumor activities and is mainly used in the treatment of colon, ovarian, liver, and bone cancers as well as leukemia. CPT inhibits the expressions of inflammatory genes and can prevent death from chronic inflammation. Therefore, we investigated the effect of CPT treatment in ulcerative colitis (UC) using DSS-induced UC mouse model; after that, we explored its potential mechanisms. Here, we found that CPT exerted protection on DSS-induced UC in rats. In addition, the administration prominently reduced the disease activity index as well as colon length of the model rats and remarkably reduced the inflammatory cytokines. Further, CPT significantly reduced several vital proinflammatory proteins in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. In summary, our findings demonstrate that CPT is hopefully to act as a therapeutic agent for UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the growth adaptive strategies of Amorpha fruticosa in response to the changes of saline soil environment under different mulch types (plastic mulch [PM]; sand mulch [SM]; rice straw mulch [RSM]; and control with non‐mulching [CK]) is very important, as this determines afforestation success in a moderately saline soil. The species' soil microenvironments, fine root traits, and biomass allocation patterns were investigated in 2016 and 2017. Compared to CK, electrical conductivity of saturated paste extracts (ECe) reduced significantly under the mulching treatments especially under PM. Both PM and SM effectively increased soil temperature (Tsoil) and available nitrogen (AN), but reduced soil organic carbon (SOC) in 2016; while RSM increased soil nutrients, but reduced Tsoil. The A. fruticosa under RSM (following PM and SM) invested more biomass, to shoots relative to roots, to coarse roots relative to fine roots, and to stems and leaves at the expense of coarse roots and fine roots from 2016 to 2017, as its saline soil environment especially the low Tsoil improved. In both years, the fine roots of A. fruticosa under PM employed exploitation potential or 'extensive strategy' (fine root mass density; fine root length density) more successfully at the 0–40 cm, while the fine roots under CK used higher exploitation efficiency or 'intensive strategy' (specific root length; and specific root area). The indicators of intensive strategy at the 40–60 cm were higher under PM than SM and RSM. Therefore, PM will better help A. fruticosa adapt to the harsh soil environment during afforestation in a moderately saline wasteland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To characterize the phenotypic spectrum and assess the antialbuminuric response to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and/or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) therapy in a cohort of children with Dent disease. Methods: The patients' clinical findings, renal biopsy results, genetic and follow‐up data were analyzed retrospectively. Mutations in CLCN5 or OCRL were detected by next‐generation sequencing or Sanger sequencing. Results: Of 31 Dent disease boys, 24 carried CLCN5 and 7 carried OCRL mutations. Low molecular weight proteinuria and albuminuria were detected in all cases. Nephrotic‐range proteinuria and severe albuminuria were identified in 52% and 62% of cases, respectively; by 7 years of age, 6 patients had hematuria and nephrotic‐range proteinuria, and 7 patients had hematuria and moderate to severe albuminuria. In addition to disease‐related renal features, patients with Dent‐1 disease also presented with congenital cataract (1/9) and developmental delay (2/7). Seventeen of 31 patients underwent renal biopsy. Glomerular changes included mild glomerular lesions, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. Thirteen of the 31 patients had follow‐up records and received ACE inhibitor and/or ARB treatment for more than 3 months. After a median 1.7 (range 0.3–8.5) years of treatment, a reduction in the urinary microalbumin‐to‐creatinine ratio was observed in 54% of children. Conclusions: Hematuria with nephrotic‐range proteinuria or moderate to severe albuminuria was common in Dent disease patients. Extrarenal manifestations were observed in Dent‐1 patients, which extends the phenotypic spectrum. In addition, ACE inhibitors and ARBs are well tolerated, and they are partially effective in controlling albuminuria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alport syndrome is a hereditary progressive chronic kidney disease caused by mutations in type IV collagen genes COL4A3/4/5. X-linked Alport syndrome (XLAS) is caused by mutations in the COL4A5 gene and is the most common form of Alport syndrome. A strong correlation between the type of COL4A5 mutation and the age developing end-stage renal disease in male patients has been found. Mutation to the α (IV) chain causes retention of the protein to the endoplasmic reticulum lumen, which causes endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and subsequent exertion of deleterious intracellular effects through the activation of ERS. The exact time point that mutant type IV collagen α chain exerts its deleterious effects remains elusive. In this study, we explored the relationship between the COL4A5 genotype and cell type in ERS activation. We obtained skin fibroblasts from Alport syndrome patients with different COL4A5 mutation categories [i.e., a missense mutation (c.4298G > T, p.Gly1433Val) in exon 47, a splicing mutation (c.1949–1G > A) in intron 25 and an insertion (c.573_c.574insG, p. Pro193Alafs*23) in exon 10], and then reprogrammed these fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Interestingly, no significant dysregulation of ERS pathway markers was observed for the three COL4A5 mutant iPSCs; however, significant activation of ERS in COL4A5 mutant fibroblasts was observed. In addition, we found that the activation levels of some ERS markers in fibroblasts varied among the three COL4A5 mutation types. Mutant COL4A5 proteins were demonstrated to have different effects on cells at different stages of ontogenesis, providing a theoretical basis for choosing the timing of intervention. The observed differences in activation of ERS by the COL4A5 mutant fibroblasts may contribute to the intracellular molecular mechanisms that describe the correlation between genotype and clinical features in XLAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field trial consisting of cotton grown employing a combination of ridge planting, mulching with film, and drip irrigation was laid out on a plot with severely saline soil in a typical inland arid area of Xinjiang. The effect of five levels of soil matric potential set up 0.2 m below the drip emitter, namely −5 kPa, −10 kPa, −15 kPa, −20 kPa, and −25 kPa, were studied in terms of changes in soil salinity (EC e ), sodicity (SAR), crop growth and yield components. Drip irrigation increased the leaching of soil salts and decreased the EC e and SAR of each soil layer. Although the levels of soil salt rose again, in spring and winter, after irrigation was discontinued, the root zone (0–40 cm) remained less saline: the EC e and SAR value under the soil matric potential of −5 kPa and −10 kPa were 63% and 49% of its values in 2009 respectively, before the land was brought under cultivation ( p ≤ 0.05), showing maximum leaching. The yield of cotton peaked at the soil matric potential of −5 kPa. The germination rate, which was the main factor that influenced the cotton yield, was 67% of that in non-saline soil in the first two years, and increased to 84% in the third year. After three years, the rate of germination in all the treatments exceeded 67%, and the highest rate (78%) was at −5 kPa; in the same treatment, boll yield was 4.40 g per plant. Except for germination rate and the yield of lint and seed, all the yield components increased significantly ( p ≤0.05) as EC e and SAR decreased in 2010 and 2011. The correlation between soil salt (salinity and sodicity) and other components such as the number of cotton bolls per plant, the average weight of a boll, and lint percentage varied, probably because water supply was being regulated and, as a result, the physicochemical properties of the soil kept changing constantly. Taking into account the extent of leaching, crop growth, and yield, the lower limit for the soil matric potential should be −5 kPa at 20 cm below the dripper for the first three years during reclamation to promote cotton cultivation on the saline-sodic soil of Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postsurgical relapse remains a common issue for resectable gastric cancer (GC). Here, we investigated the efficacy and safety of an adjuvant treatment combining chemotherapy with cellular immunotherapy (CIT) using autologous natural killer cells, γδT cells, and cytokine-induced killer cells in the treatment of stage II/III GC. A pilot prospective cohort study was conducted in 169 patients with stage II/III GC who had undergone gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. Patients were assigned into two groups according to the patient choice of treatment, including chemotherapy alone (chemo) or chemotherapy combined with CIT (chemo/CIT). Disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate Cox models were used to analyze the impact of chemo/CIT on DFS and OS. Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test was used to compare the clinical outcome between two groups. Three-year DFS rate was 60.6% and 74.7% ( P = 0.036) and 3-year OS rate was 64.9% and 83% ( P = 0.051) for the chemo and chemo/CIT group, respectively. TNM stage and chemo/CIT were independent prognostic factors for both DFS (for TNM stage, P < 0.001, hazard ratio [HR]: 5.599, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.791-11.232; for chemo/CIT, P = 0.013, HR: 0.478, 95% CI: 0.266-0.858) and OS (for TNM stage, P < 0.001, HR: 6.559, 95% CI: 2.903-14.817; for chemo/CIT, P = 0.04, HR: 0.506, 95% CI: 0.264-0.970). In subgroup analysis, 3-year DFS and OS rates of patients with stage III GC in the chemo/CIT group were significantly higher than those in the chemo group (38.4% vs. 57.1%, P = 0.038; and 45.9% vs. 76%, P = 0.06, respectively), while there was no significant difference between the two groups in patients with stage II GC. Only 15.9% of patients (10/63) in the chemo/CIT group had mild and manageable fever (grades 1 and 2), while no other side effects were observed. The adjuvant treatment combining chemotherapy with cellular immunotherapy is well tolerated and significantly improves the clinical outcome of patients with stage II/III GC, when compared with chemotherapy alone, therefore warrants further attention in treatment for relapsed GC after tumor resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]