Search

Climatic factors have substantial effects on maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield (GY). This study was conducted to distinguish the effects and identify the optimal climatic factors for dry matter (DM) accumulation and GY. Three seasons, that is, spring maize (SpM), summer maize (SuM), and autumn maize (AuM) were divided in central China by a 2-yr field experiment. Spring maize grown under lower mean temperature (MT) with higher precipitation (Pr) before silking, however, high temperature stress (killing degree days [KDD]) were easily encountered after silking. Summer maize encountered higher MT and KDD, and less Pr through whole growth period. Climatic conditions of AuM were contrary to SpM. The KDD played a negative role on GY due to the negative affect of DM, ear kernels number (EKN), kernel weight (KW). Grain yield had positive relationships with Pr (180-400 mm), which played positive affect EKN and KW. Accumulated solar radiation (Ra) had compensating effects on EKN and KW, so it did not affect GY. The optimum MT for EKN was 20 to 27°C and Pr was 179 to 302 mm before silking, while those for KW were 23 to 27°C and 152 to 216 mm, respectively, after pollination. Spring maize grown under optimal climatic conditions as less KDD (-16.2 to -70.4%) and more Pr (+26.0 to +28.6%) outyielded SuM and AuM (+23.1 to +23.6%) by the notably higher DM, EKN, and KW. Temperature significantly affected maize DM, EKN, KW, and, ultimately GY, with SpM outyielding SuM and AuM in central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate risk factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in early gastric carcinoma (EGC) in four tertiary medical centers in Jiangsu Province, China., Methods: Among 10 097 consecutive combined gastric cancer radical resections, 1903 EGC were identified and reviewed, 283 excluded and 1620 included in the study. All pathological and some endoscopic reports were reviewed for patients' characteristics, tumor location, gross features, and the number of lymph nodes retrieved and involved. Two pathologists independently investigated the pathological features of tumor type, differentiation, invasion depth, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and perineural invasion. The data were statistically analyzed to identify risk factors for LNM., Results: The average number of lymph nodes retrieved was 17.5 per patient. LNM was diagnosed in 15.5%. By univariate analysis, significant risk factors for LNM included age ≥ 41 years, female sex, size over 1 cm, submucosal invasion, poor differentiation, poorly cohesive carcinoma, micropapillary adenocarcinoma, adenocarcinoma mixed with signet-ring cell carcinoma, LVI, perineural invasion, and distal gastric location. By multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for LNM were size ≥ 3 cm (odds ratio [OR] 1.9), poor differentiation (OR 2.5), adenocarcinoma mixed with signet-ring cell carcinoma (OR 1.7), LVI (OR 5.8) and submucosal invasion (OR 2.9). In contrast, size < 3 cm and ulcer were not significant risk factors. Early cardiac carcinoma (OR 0.4) had significantly lower risk., Conclusions: Independent risk factors for LNM in EGC in Chinese patients included tumor size ≥ 3 cm, poor differentiation, submucosal invasion, adenocarcinoma mixed with signet-ring cell carcinoma and LVI. Early cardiac carcinoma had a significantly lower risk for LNM., (© 2017 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)