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This paper investigates the effects of different long-term (36 years) fertilizer treatments on soil pH, exchangeable acids, exchangeable base cation and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers in a double-cropping rice field. The following fertilizer treatments were included: chemical fertilizer (MF), rice straw and chemical fertilizer (RF), 30% organic manure and 70% chemical fertilizer (OM), and without any fertilizer input as a control (CK). This result indicated that soil pH at 0–10 cm layer with RF and OM treatments was higher than that of MF and CK treatments. Soil exchangeable acidity content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with RF and OM treatments were decreased by 48.4%, 51.6% and 49.2%, 54.2%, compared with CK treatment, respectively. Soil exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+) contents at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with OM and RF treatments were higher than that of CK treatment. Moreover, compared with CK treatment, soil exchangeable base ion content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with OM treatment were increased by 54.1% and 42.6%, respectively. Soil CEC and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with OM and RF treatments were significantly higher than that of MF and CK treatments. In conclusion, our results indicated that long-term application of crop residue or organic manure can improve soil exchangeable base ion and exchangeable capacity contents, alleviate soil acidity in a double-cropping paddy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature inhibits the growth and development of maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings. The current study attempts to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of exogenous trehalose for the improvement of maize and wheat responses to heat stress. Results show that, in maize seedlings, exogenously-supplied trehalose was able to effectively elevate the capacity of photosynthetic carbon assimilation and improve the carbohydrate content via up-regulating the transcript levels of key enzymes including phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), NADP-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH), NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) and Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit. Besides, it was also able to improve C4 pathway enzyme activities, including PEPC, NADP-MDH, NADP-ME and Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RUBPCase). In wheat seedlings, exogenously-supplied trehalose promoted photosynthetic carbon assimilation by elevating the activity of RUBPCase. These results show that exogenous trehalose improved photosynthetic carbon assimilation capacities in maize and wheat seedlings under heat stress through different mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the experience of grandparents providing regular childcare to their young grandchildren in China. Due to unique cultural and social factors, regular childcare provided by grandparents is becoming increasingly common in China. Unfortunately, published research on this topic does not provide a sufficient understanding of the experiences of grandparents who provide the regular care and the impact this has on their life. A qualitative, cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban village setting in Changsha China, where participants (N = 11) were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected between April 2019 and June 2019 and thematically analyzed using a seven-step modified procedure established by Colaizzi. Three key themes were identified: (1) Dominant factors motivating grandparenting; (2) Sweet burden of grandparenting; and, (3) Unmet needs. Study findings showed that while the Chinese grandparents perceived value and benefits to providing regular childcare, there are also significant challenges that need to be addressed. Interventions at a household and community level can be implemented to improve their childcare role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new coordination polymers, namely [Cd(OBA)(H2O)3]n (1), [Zn2(OBA)2(PBHB)2]n (2), [Mn(OBA)(BBHB)2]n (3), and [Co(MIP)(BPP)]n (4) (H2OBA = 4-oxyacetate-benzoic acid, PBHB = 1,1′-(1,3-propanediyl)bis-1H-benzimidazole, BBHB = 1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)bis-1H-benzimidazole, H2MIP = 5-methylisophthalic acid, and BPP = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane)), were prepared and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In complex 1, the Cd(II) atoms are bridged by OBA2− anions to give 1D zigzag chain, and the 1D chains are stacked into 2D network through the O–H–O hydrogen bonds. The Mn(II) and Zn(II) centers in 2 and 3 are connected by OBA2− anions to form 1D chains, which are further bridged by N-donor ligands to generate 2D layer. Complex 4 shows twofold 3D interpenetrating network. Furthermore, the fluorescence of complexes 1 and 2 and magnetic properties of 3 and 4 have also been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the changes in serum miR-124 levels in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI) and elucidate the underlying mechanism by a dynamic monitor. Methods: Fifty-four patients with ACI and 51 healthy controls were included in our study. Baseline characteristics and blood samples were collected for further analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the serum miR-124 levels. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the effect of miR-124 on iASPP, a protein that inhibits apoptosis stimulating proteins in the p53 family. Results: Compared with normal controls, the miR-124 levels in the ACI group rapidly decreased at phase 1 (within 24 h after ischemia) (p < 0.001) and then gradually increased at phase 2 (48 ∼ 72 h after ischemia) (p < 0.001) and phase 3 (the 7th day after ischemia) (p < 0.001). The dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-124 down-regulates iASPP expression in 293T cells. Conclusion: The miR-124 levels are down-regulated in ACI patients. The dynamic changes of miR-124 might provide a possible method for the detection of ischemic stroke. The difference in miR-124 expression levels between ACI patients and normal controls. Dynamic changes of miR-124 expression levels in ACI patients. The down-regulation of miR-124 upon iASPP expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A retrospective analysis of the phenotypic characteristics, clinical manifestations, investigations and interleukin-10 receptor (IL-10R) status of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in infants and children under 2 years of age in Liaoning Province, China between January 2015 and October 2016 is described. Six patients without a family history of IBD were diagnosed with Crohn disease, and IL-10R mutations were detected in five of them. Compound heterozygous patients with IL-10R mutations had severe clinical manifestations, were resistant to standard medication for IBD and had a poor prognosis as haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was not undertaken. Two of these patients died of suspected septicaemia. IBD in infants and children under 2 years of age is life-threatening when patients with IL-10R mutations do not receive allogeneic HSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An incubation experiment was executed on applying biochar as a soil remediation amendment to discuss an effect of the various addition rates on the speciation and bioavailability of heavy metals in mining-contaminated soil. The result showed that the content of Cd in soil was 9.51 times higher than the Huainan soil background values. The contents of Cu, Zn and As were 2.97, 1.60 and 1.42 times the background values, respectively, and the total contents of all heavy metals were higher than the standard values of soil environment quality GB15618-1995 set by the China Ministry of Environmental Protection. Speciation analysis indicated that Cu and Cd were mainly associated with the reducible fraction, while Zn and As were dominated by the residual fraction. After biochar was added to contaminated soil, the residual fractions of heavy metals increased, while the acid-soluble fractions reduced. According to the results of CaCl2 extraction experiment, CaCl2-extractable concentrations of Cu, Zn, As, and Cd were observed with a biochar dosage rate of 10%, which were 57.26%, 51.37%, 6.94% and 42.04% lower than those of control soil samples, respectively, but there were no obvious changes of CaCl2-extractable As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-shaped CuO with hierarchical microstructures was successfully synthesized through an ultrasound-assisted aqueous chemical method. The comparative experiment results show that the phase and morphology of as-obtained products are greatly affected by the volume of ammonia and the time for keeping ultrasonic irradiation, respectively. The prepared CuO microflowers assembled by nanosheets with needle-like tips exhibit a much higher activity than the commercial CuO for degrading Rhodamine B. Additionally, the photocatalytic performance of as-prepared hierarchical CuO microflowers was also evaluated through the degradation of Methylene blue and Methyl orange under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastableh-MoO3hexagonal prisms have been fabricated through a simple green ultrasonic-assisted chemical route. After calcination at 440 °C for 2 h, the thermodynamically stableα-MoO3nanoplate-based rods have been achieved through a process ofin situphase transformation. The as-synthesised products have been characterised by powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The phase transformation from metastableh-MoO3to stableα-MoO3is observed at 419 °C according to the differential scanning calorimetry results. The possible growth mechanism of MoO3crystals has been proposed based on the experimental results. The prepared two kinds of MoO3samples both display higher photocatalytic performance for degrading rhodamine B compared to that of commercial MoO3. In the present system,α-MoO3nanoplate-based rods exhibit slightly higher degradation activity thanh-MoO3hexagonal prisms, which is possibly due to its smaller band gap energy, smaller scale of nanoplate, better adsorption capacity and lower recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cancer incidence in patients with end-stage aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). Methods: A total of 102 patients with end-stage AAN treated in our hospital between 2004 and 2013 were included in this study. The correlation of cancer incidence with age, gender, dosage of aristolochic acid (AA), the type of renal replacement therapies, and the polymorphisms of quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) C609T and cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) A4889G was examined. Results: The cancer incidence rate in our patients was 41.2% (42 in 102) including 39 cases of urinary cancer. The mortality rate in the patients with cancer was significantly higher than that in the patients without cancer (31%, 13/42 vs. 11.7%, 7/60, p < 0.05). Thirteen patients developed cancer before entering end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Cancer incidence was significantly associated with the dosage of AA consumption ( p = 0.091). Hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplant did not affect the cancer incidence in our patients differently, but appeared to be associated with cancer at particular locations of urinary system. The patients undergoing hemodialysis seemed to more likely have bladder cancer (72.72%), while the patients receiving peritoneal dialysis appeared to develop cancer predominantly in the upper urinary tract (66.67%). Conclusions: The cancer initiation in our patients seems significantly correlate with the dosage of AA consumption. Different renal replacement therapies appear to be associated with cancer at particular locations of urinary system in our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To compare the Na/H2O and urea removal between residual renal function (RRF) and peritoneal clearance (PC) in peritoneal dialysis patients. Try to explore the difference between RRF and PC in prognosis of chronic kidney disease patients who need peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment. Methods: Weekly Na/H2O and urea removal by PC and RRF were investigated individually. Independent samples t-test was carried out to compare the efficiency of removal between RRF and PC treatment. Pearson correlated analysis was applied to reveal the relationship between Na/H2O and urea removal and Kt/V. Results: Although a higher Na/H2O removal rate by RRF was showed in this investigation, the difference was not statistical significant compared to the one by PC. On the other hand, urea removal by RRF was obviously higher than PC. For every 0.1 Kt/V, Na/H2O removal by RRF was distinctly higher than PD. The Na and H2O removal of RRF were 147.88 ± 83.72 mmol and 46.54 ± 39.11 mmol, respectively; and the ones of PD were 11.40 ± 6.08 mmol and 4.47 ± 4.79 mmol. By using statistical assay, the correlations relevance between Na/H2O removal and Kt/V in RRF were showed stronger than in PC. However, the total removal of Na/H2O showed a poor correlation with Kt/V in both RRF and PC. Conclusions: The removal efficiency of RRF is much higher than PC. This study suggests that it is important to adjust dialysis program when RRF gets declined. Also the correlation between Na/H2O removal rate and Kt/V is an important monitoring factor for the patients who are receiving peritoneal dialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic element concentrations in the roots of Plumbago zeylanica L. were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry following microwave-assisted digestion. The most abundant elements were Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, Mg, P, and K, while other elements, including As, B, Cd, Co, Cu, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti, V, Zn, and Cr, were also determined. The results were subjected to chemometrics analyses that indicated that the collection time significantly affected the inorganic element concentrations. Further, the planting method, soil property, fertilizer and vegetative cover also affected the inorganic element concentrations in the roots of Plumbago zeylanica L. Notably, cultivated samples showed different inorganic element concentrations compared to the wild samples. The implications for the quality control and pharmacology of Plumbago zeylanica L. are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is an increasingly recognized inflammatory disease characterized by gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and eosinophilic infiltration of the GI tract. Serosal form is one subtype of EG. The aetiology and pathogenesis of EG are unknown and the diagnosis and treatment properly are difficult for physician. Methods: A retrospective study of 10 paediatric patients (mean age 10.8 years) was performed to review records of medical, endoscopic, ultrasonographic findings and histological features. Results: All the cases presented abdominal pain symptom in this study. Supra-umbilical pain was the main location of pain. The pain intensity of cases was from mild to moderate. Vomiting and diarrhoea may also be found. All the cases manifested as peripheral eosinophilia and eosinophilic ascites (EA) detected by ultrasonograph and ascetic fluid white cell differential count were analysed. Erythema was the predominate feature seen on endoscopy. Histologic examination showed patchy eosinophilic infiltration in the GI tract in all patients. Symptom remission within 1 week and ascites absorbed within 2-3 weeks in all the patients treated with steroids. Conclusion: Serosal form of EG affects paediatric patients as well as adults, which can be diagnosed early and correctly through realising the character of the disease. Histopathology is the gold standard for diagnosis. Corticosteroids are the first line therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subfamily Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) and the closely-related Periplocoideae are sources of many indigenous Indian medicinal plants. We surveyed antioxidant properties and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 15 samples, representing 12 Indian medicinal plant species from these subfamilies. Total antioxidant assay was performed using the 2,2-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid and ferric-reducing antioxidant power methods. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were measured using colourimetric methods. Principal phenolic compounds were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The highest antioxidant capacity and high levels of total phenolics and flavonoids were found in the leaves of Decalepis hamiltonii. The stems of Sarcostemma brevistigma exhibited the highest xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity. The roots of Hemidesmus indicus showed the highest OH- radical scavenging activity. In general, Periplocoideae members exhibited higher antioxidant activity than Asclepiadoideae members. The highly significant and positive correlations (R > 0.914) between total antioxidant capacity parameters and total phenolic content indicated that the phenolic compounds contributed significantly to the antioxidant activity of the tested plant samples. The principal phenolic phytochemicals from these plants were identified by LC-MS, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and phenolic terpenoids. Chlorogenic acid and rutin were detected in almost all of the plant samples. The LC-MS analysis provided full fingerprints of the principal phenolic compounds in the medicinal plants from these two subfamilies, which are useful for their authentication and quality evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiqu, a unique Chinese song and dance theatre has been an integral part of Chinese culture for almost eight centuries. However, the traditional Chinese art is being threatened by imported artistic forms from Western countries, and is facing its greatest challenge. With the rapid decrease of xiqu audiences, a major debate concerning xiqu's future has evolved among almost all xiqu artists, theorists, and scholars. The heart of the argument is the question of how to evaluate traditional Chinese culture. In the process of China's modernization, most xiqu forms have become classical theatrical forms rather than main sources of entertainment depending on popular audiences. Therefore the forms like jingju and kunqu, which represent the essence of xiqu, should be protected; otherwise, xiqu might exist in name only in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Soil extracellular enzymes play an important role in regulating nitrogen (N) mineralization processes in paddy fields. Therefore, in this work, we determine the influence of a long-term fertilizer regime on rhizosphere soil N fertilization rates, soil enzymes, soil microbial community (bacterial ureolytic community (ureC), bacterial chitinolytic community (chiA)) under the double-cropping rice field in southern of China. The field experiment included the following fertilizer regimes: inorganic fertilizer alone (IF), rice straw and inorganic fertilizer (RF), 30% organic manure and 70% inorganic fertilizer (OM), without any fertilizer input as a control (CK). The results showed that rhizosphere soil N transformation rates in the paddy fields with OM and RF treatments were increased, compared with IF and CK treatments. Soil urease, β-glucosaminidase and arginase activities were significantly increased under OM and RF treatments. This result indicated that functional gene abundances of sub, npr and chiA were significantly greater under RF and OM treatments compared to IF and CK treatments. Soil bacterial ureolytic and chitinolytic communities were significantly changed by the different fertilization strategies. The practice of applying rice straw and organic manure seems beneficial for increasing rhizosphere soil N mineralization rates and microbial community diversity in the double-cropping rice fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]