Search

Background: Multiple myeloma remains incurable despite treatment advancements over the last 20 years. LCAR-B38M Cells in Treating Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma was a phase 1, first-in-human, investigator-initiated study in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma conducted at four sites in China. The study used LCAR-B38M chimeric antigen receptor-T cells expressing two B-cell maturation antigen-targeting single-domain antibodies designed to confer avidity, and a CD3ζ signaling domain with a 4-1BB costimulatory domain to optimize T-cell activation and proliferation. This chimeric antigen receptor construct is identical to ciltacabtagene autoleucel. In the LEGEND-2 study (n = 57, Xi'an site), overall response rate was 88%; median (95% CI) progression-free survival and overall survival were 19.9 (9.6–31.0) and 36.1 (26.4–not evaluable) months, respectively; and median follow-up was 25 months. This case study reports on a patient with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (λ light chain type) who was treated with LCAR-B38M chimeric antigen receptor T cells in the LEGEND-2 study (Xi'an site); he had received five prior lines of treatment and had extensive extramedullary lesions. Case presentation: The patient, a 56-year-old Asian male, received cyclophosphamide (500 mg daily × 3 days) as lymphodepletion therapy and a total dose of 0.5 × 106 chimeric antigen receptor + T cells/kg split into three infusions (days 1, 24, and 84 from June to August 2016). He experienced grade 2 cytokine release syndrome after the first infusion; all symptoms resolved with treatment. No cytokine release syndrome occurred following the second and third infusions. His λ light chain levels decreased and normalized 20 days after the first infusion, and extramedullary lesions were healed as of January 2018. He has sustained remission for 5 years and received no other multiple myeloma treatments after LCAR-B38M chimeric antigen receptor T cell infusion. As of 30 October 2020, the patient is still progression-free and has maintained minimal residual disease-negative (10–4) complete response status for 52 months. Conclusions: This case provides support that treatment with LCAR-B38M chimeric antigen receptor T cells can result in long-term disease remission of 5 or more years without disease progression in a heavily pretreated patient with extensive extramedullary disease and no other treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has been used to explore the blood pressure response and potential cardiovascular system structure and dysfunction in male patients with essential hypertension during exercise, to provide a scientific basis for safe and effective exercise rehabilitation and improvement of prognosis. Methods. A total of 100 male patients with essential hypertension (aged 18–60) who were admitted to the outpatient department of the Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases of Jilin University from September 2018 to January 2021 were enrolled in this study. The patients had normal cardiac structure in resting state without clinical manifestations of heart failure or systematic regularization of treatment at the time of admission. Symptom-restricted CPET was performed and blood pressure was measured during and after exercise. According to Framingham criteria, male systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥210 mmHg during exercise was defined as exercise hypertension (EH), and the subjects were divided into EH group (n = 47) and non-EH group (n = 53). Based on whether the oxygen pulse (VO2/HR) plateau appeared immediately after anaerobic threshold (AT), the EH group was further divided into the VO2/HR plateau immediately after AT (EH-ATP) group (n = 19) and EH-non-ATP group (n = 28). The basic clinical data and related parameters, key CPET indicators, were compared between groups. Result. Body mass index (BMI) visceral fat, resting SBP, and SBP variability in EH group were significantly higher than those in non-EH group. Moreover, VO2/HR at AT and the ratio of VO2/HR plateau appearing immediately after AT in EH group were significantly higher than those in the non-EH group. The resting SBP, 15-minute SBP variability, and the presence of VO2/HR plateau were independent risk factors for EH. In addition, work rate (WR) at AT but also WR, oxygen consumption per minute (VO2), VO2/kg, and VO2/HR at peak were significantly lower in the EH-ATP group compared to the EH-non-ATP group. Peak diastolic blood pressure (DBP) increment and decreased △VO2/△WR for AT to peak were independent risk factors for VO2/HR plateau appearing immediately after AT in EH patients. Conclusion. EH patients have impaired autonomic nervous function and are prone to exercise-induced cardiac dysfunction. EH patients with exercise-induced cardiac dysfunction have reduced peak cardiac output and exercise tolerance and impaired vascular diastolic function. CPET examination should be performed on EH patients and EH patients with exercise-induced cardiac dysfunction to develop precise drug therapy and effective individual exercise prescription, to avoid arteriosclerosis and exercise-induced cardiac damage. The retrospective study protocol was approved by medical ethics committee of the First Hospital of Jilin University (AF-IRB-032-06 No. 2021-015). The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trials Register, registration number: ChiCTR2100053140. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: LCAR-B38M is a chimeric antigen receptor T cell product with two binding domains targeting B cell maturation antigen. Our previous reports showed a remarkable efficacy of LCAR-B38M in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) at a median follow-up of 2 years. Here, we report long-term safety and efficacy data from a median follow-up of 4 years. Methods: LEGEND-2 was a phase 1, single-arm, open-label study conducted in four registered sites in China. Seventy-four participants with RRMM received LCAR-B38M treatment. Lymphodepletion was performed using cyclophosphamide or cyclophosphamide plus fludarabine. LCAR-B38M, at a median dose of 0.513 × 106 cells/kg, was intravenously administered either in three split infusions or in a single infusion. The primary objective was the safety of LCAR-B38M, and the secondary objective was efficacy. Results: As of May 25, 2021, the median follow-up was 47.8 months. All patients experienced ≥ 1 adverse events (AEs). Grade ≥ 3 AEs were observed in 45/74 (60.8%) patients. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in 68/74 (91.9%) cases; 7 (9.5%) had grade ≥ 3 CRS. One patient experienced grade 1 central nervous system toxicity. The overall response rate was 87.8%. Fifty-four out of 74 (73.0%) patients achieved complete response. The median progression-free survival was 18.0 months, and the median overall survival for all patients was not reached. The median duration of response was 23.3 months. Four patients experienced viral infection more than 6 months post-infusion, and four patients developed second primary non-hematological malignancies at a median time of 11.5 months post-CAR-T cell transfer. Conclusions: The 4-year follow-up data of LCAR-B38M therapy demonstrated a favorable long-term safety profile and a durable response in patients with RRMM. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03090659 (retrospectively registered on March 27, 2017); ChiCTR-ONH-17012285. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate changes result in the expansion of lower elevation plants to higher elevations. The rapid upward expansion of herbaceous plants into the alpine tundra on Changbai Mountain resulted in changes in different levels of ecosystem organization. However, the responses and feedback of litter properties and soil mesofauna to herbaceous plants expansion have not been studied yet. To understand the mechanisms underlying those changes, we conducted a field experiment in the range of 2250–2300 m in the alpine tundra of the Changbai Mountain and collected a total of 288 samples from four degrees of herbaceous plants expansion to study the litter physiochemical properties, soil mesofauna, and soil nutrient contents, and their relationships in that tundra ecosystem suffered from various degrees of herbaceous invasion. We found that herbaceous plant expansion is responsible for a major shift in the dominant species of soil mesofauna from mites to collembolan and has significant impacts on the community structure (R2=0.54, p=0.001) and diversity of soil mesofauna (Shannon-Weiner index, p=0.01). The increasing herbaceous plant expansion resulted in a significant increase in litter biomass from 91g·m−2 in the original tundra vegetation (OIT) to 118g·m−2 in the moderately invaded tundra (MIT), and an increase in litter thickness from 2.37 cm (OIT) to 3.05 cm (MIT). And, the litter total nitrogen content significantly increased, but the values of the litter carbon content, the lignin content, the C/N ratio, and the lignin/N ratio decreased with increased herbaceous coverage (both p<0.05). The litter physical properties pathway (biomass and thickness) directly explained 31% of the total variance in soil mesofauna diversity and 59% of the total variance in soil mesofauna community composition. Furthermore, both the soil available nutrients (incl. AN and AP) and plant biomass (incl. the total plant biomass and herbs/shrubs biomass) significantly increased with increasing coverage of herbaceous plant (both p<0.05), and litter chemical properties pathway directly explained 50% of the soil nutrient content variance and indirectly explained 20% of soil nutrient by affecting soil mesofauna. We found that both soil available nutrients and soil mesofauna were positively correlated with the herbaceous expansion from OIT to MIT, indicating a positive feedback of herbaceous expansion, and the abundance of soil mesofauna decreased in the severely invaded tundra vegetation, suggesting a negative feedback. While, both litter N content and soil available nitrogen were consistently increased in the severely invaded tundra vegetation, indicating a positive feedback of herbaceous expansion. Therefore, this study provides new insights into the process of herbaceous plant expansion into tundra, and provides possible evidence for further expansion according to responses and feedback of in litter properties and soil mesofauna to herbaceous plants expansion. Furthermore, these positive or/and negative feedback systems in the Changbai alpine tundra ecosystem in relation to herbaceous expansion have important implications for the tundra protection, and thus, need to be deeply studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human migration facilitate the spread of tuberculosis (TB). Migrants face an increased risk of TB infection. In this study, we aim to explore the spatial inequity of sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB (SS + PTB) in China; and the spatial heterogeneity between SS + PTB and internal migration. Methods: Notified SS + PTB cases in 31 provinces in mainland China were obtained from the national web-based PTB surveillance system database. Internal migrant data were extracted from the report on China's migrant population development. Spatial autocorrelations were explored using the global Moran's statistic and local indicators of spatial association. The spatial variation in temporal trends was performed using Kulldorff's scan statistic. Fixed effect and spatial autoregressive models were used to explore the spatial inequity between SS + PTB and internal migration. Results: A total of 2 380 233 SS + PTB cases were reported in China between 2011 and 2017, of which, 1 716 382 (72.11%) were male and 663 851 (27.89%) were female. Over 70% of internal migrants were from rural households and had lower income and less education. The spatial variation in temporal trend results showed that there was an 9.9% average annual decrease in the notification rate of SS + PTB from 2011 to 2017; and spatial clustering of SS + PTB cases was mainly located in western and southern China. The spatial autocorrelation results revealed spatial clustering of internal migration each year (2011–2017), and the clusters were stable within most provinces. Internal emigration, urban-to-rural migration and GDP per capita were significantly associated with SS + PTB, further, internal emigration could explain more variation in SS + PTB in the eastern region in mainland. However, internal immigration and rural-to-urban migration were not significantly associated with SS + PTB across China. Conclusions: Our study found the spatial inequity between SS + PTB and internal migration. Internal emigration, urban-to-rural migration and GDP per capita were statistically associated with SS + PTB; the negative association was identified between internal emigration, urban-to-rural migration and SS + PTB. Further, we found those migrants with lower income and less education, and most of them were from rural households. These findings can help stakeholders to implement effective PTB control strategies for areas at high risk of PTB and those with high rates of internal migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2007 to 2008, many bronze wares of Qin Dynasty were excavated from tombs at Xinfeng town. Being an important finding, these bronze wares attracted people's attention, especially for their conservation. Therefore, the corrosive products were explored by using Scanning ElectronMicroscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Detector (SEM/EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy (RM), which provided much valuable information on the conservation of these bronze wares. According to tested results, the corrosive products of bronzes were found to be comprised of cuprite (Cu2O), covellite (CuS), lead carbonate (PbCO3), and malachite (CuCO3.Cu(OH)2). Meantime, the multilayer corrosive structure was found in some samples due to the cracks in Cu2O layer which had formed many microchannels to promote the material migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More than 1 million tuberculosis (TB) patients are receiving the standard anti-TB treatment provided by China National Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Scheme (CNTS) in China every year. Adverse reactions (ADRs) induced by anti-TB drugs could both do harm to patients and lead to anti-TB treatment failure. The ADACS aimed to explore ADRs' incidences, prognoses, economical and public health impacts for TB patients and TB control, and build a DNA bank of TB patients. Methods/Design: Multiple study designs were adopted. Firstly, a prospective cohort with 4488 sputum smears positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients was established. Patients were followed up for 6-9 months in 52 counties of four regions. Those suspected ADRs should be checked and confirmed by Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). Secondly, if the suspected ADR was anti-TB drug induced liver injury (ATLI), a nested case-control study would be performed which comprised choosing a matched control and doing a plus questionnaire inquiry. Thirdly, health economical data of ADRs would be collected to analyze financial burdens brought by ADRs and cost-effectiveness of ADRs' treatments. Fourthly, a drop of intravenous blood for each patient was taken and saved in FTA card for DNA banking and genotyping. Finally, the demographic, clinical, environmental, administrative and genetic data would be merged for the comprehensive analysis. Discussion: ADACS will give an overview of anti-TB drugs induced ADRs' incidences, risk factors, treatments, prognoses, and clinical, economical and public health impacts for TB patients applying CNTS regimen in China, and provide suggestions for individualized health care and TB control policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China is one of the most emblematic archaeological sites in the world. Many questions remain about the logistics of technology, standardisation and labour organisation behind the creation of such a colossal construction in just a few decades over 2,000 years ago. An ongoing research project co-ordinated between the UCL Institute of Archaeology and the Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum is beginning to address some of these questions. This paper outlines some results of the typological, metric, microscopic, chemical and spatial analyses of the 40,000 bronze weapons recovered with the Terracotta Warriors. Thanks to a holistic approach developed specifically for this project, it is possible to reveal remarkable aspects of the organisation of the Qin workforce in production cells, of the standardisation, efficiency and quality-control procedures employed, and of the sophisticated technical knowledge of the weapon-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm tax levied in kind was an important fiscal and economic system implemented by the National Government during the period of the Anti-Japanese War and it turned out to be a relatively successful policy. In the process of implementing the system, various interest groups, including the central government, the local government, ministries of the central government, and farmers, were in conflict and competed with one another to maximize their respective interests. Fortunately, in the special period of national crisis, while maximizing their own interests, all parties arrived at a compromise to balance their interests, which promoted the successful implementation of the farm tax levied in kind and provided the necessary resources needed by the war against Japanese invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basilepta melanopus is a serious insect pest of tea plantations in southern China. This tea pest poses a great threat to the tea industry in China. No effective and environmentally friendly methods have been established to control this pest at present. Olfactory genes play key roles in insect behaviour, and can potentially be used as targets for developing environmentally-friendly approaches for pest control. In this study, we produced a transcriptome derived from dissected antennae from B. melanopus using high-throughput sequencing. We identified gene families that are potentially involved in odorant reception and detection, including unigenes encoding 63 odorant receptors (ORs), 16 gustatory receptors (GRs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs), four sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 46 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), and 19 chemosensory proteins (CSPs). Analyses of tissue expression profiles revealed that all 63 OR transcripts, 14 antennal IRs, one SNMP and six OBPs were predominately expressed in antennae. Real-time quantitative PCR assays were also adapted to examine sex-biased expression of selected antenna-predominant genes. Our results provide valuable information for further functional studies of olfactory genes in B. melanopus and potential novel targets for developing new pest control measures. Unlabelled Image • Transcript abundance of all unigenes in antennae were characterized. • 63 ORs, 16 GRs, 18 IRs, 4 SNMPs, 46 OBPs, and 19 CSPs were identified from antennal transcriptome. • All 63 ORs, 14 antennal IRs, 1 SNMP and 6 OBPs were predominately expressed in antennae. • The sex-biased expression patterns of these antenna-predominant genes were characterized. • The phylogenetic relationships with known olfaction-related proteins from other Coleoptera species were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength., Methods: We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength., Results: In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β = -2.119), As (β = -1.318), Sr (β = -2.480), Ba (β = 0.781), Fe (β = 1.130) and Mn (β = -0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength ( P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95% confidence interval: -1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn ( P interactions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively)., Conclusion: In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn., (Copyright © 2024 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Background: Anxiety disorders pose a significant threat to the clinical rehabilitation of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tai Chi is a therapeutic exercise that can be used to treat anxiety disorders. We aim to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi for treating patients with anxiety disorders caused by COVID-19., Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature, Wan Fang, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry databases will be searched for reports of randomized controlled trials on Tai Chi for the treatment of anxiety disorders caused by COVID-19, published from December 1, 2019, to August 22, 2022. Two researchers will screen the articles and extract the relevant information., Results: The results will provide a systematic overview of the current evidence on the use of Tai Chi to treat anxiety disorders caused by COVID-19 among patients., Conclusion: The conclusions of this study will help clarify whether Tai Chi is effective and safe for treating anxiety disorders caused by COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The differences in methanogen abundance and community composition were investigated between nearshore and offshore sediments in the South Yellow Sea (SYS). Shannon, Simpson, and Chao1 indices revealed a higher diversity of methanogens in the nearshore sediments than in the offshore sediments. The Mann-Whitney U test demonstrated that the relative abundance of Methanococcoides was significantly higher in the offshore sediments, while the relative abundances of Methanogenium, Methanosarcina, Methanosaeta, Methanolinea, and Methanomassiliicoccus were significantly higher in the nearshore sediments (P < 0.05). The abundance of the mcrA gene in the nearshore sediments was significantly higher than that in the offshore sediments. Furthermore, a similar vertical distribution of the methanogen and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) abundances was observed in the SYS sediments, implying there is potential cooperation between these two functional microbes in this environment. Finally, total organic carbon (TOC) was significantly correlated with methanogen community composition., (© 2022. Author(s).)

Chaga mushroom, Inonotus obliquus, was used as food and nutrient food and traditional herbs in Russia, China and Japan, with anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. Chemical investigations of the fruiting bodies of Chaga were carried to uncover the bioactive metabolites. As a result, seven undescribed lanostane-type triterpenoids, namely inonotusols H-N, were isolated, and all lanostanoids remarkably inhibited NO production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. Of these, inonotusols I and L presented the most potent inhibitory effects on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO production without any significant cytotoxicity. Molecular docking studies confirmed the capacity of inonotusols I and L to interact with iNOS protein. Structure-activity relationships were also discussed. These results indicated that the potential anti-inflammatory effects of inonotusols I and L in microglial BV-2 cells may be imparted through suppression of iNOS. These results may support the use of I. obliquus for food and medicinal application., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Botanical pesticide plays an essential role in the control of agricultural pests. Corydalis curviflora Maxim. is used as a cholagogue and larvicide in the rural areas of Northwest China. In this study, our objective was to identify the insect active ingredients of C. curviflora extract., Results: Bioassay-guided isolation of the high active fraction led to the identification of two novel N-demethyl hexahydrobenzophenanthridine-type alkaloids, Curviflorain A (1) and Curviflorain B (2), together with nine known alkaloids, ambiguanine A (3), ambiguanine B (4), ambiguanine C (5), 6-acetylambinine (6), 1,1-dimethyl-6-methoxy-7-hydroxyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (7), hendersine B (8), coryximine (9), isochotensine (10) and corysolidine (11). Compounds 1, 2, and 6 showed promising activity to the larvae of Culex pipiens pallens Coq. and Aedes albopictus Skuse. These compounds were also tested against the insect pests, Mythimna separata walker. and Schizaphis graminum Rondani., Conclusion: These findings provide a better understanding of the insecticidal activity of C. curviflora extract and the active compounds. This has the potential to lead to a more effective botanical insecticide., (© 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.)

The effects of the policy of converting farmland to forest and grassland on soil nitrogen content and conversion enzyme activity were studied. Caragana intermedia , Prunus davidiana, Medicago spp., and Stipa bungeana and a corn control were examined to determine the concentrations of seven soil nitrogen components and the activity of two nitrogen conversion enzymes. The main factors affecting soil nitrogen distributions and transformation was also explored using redundancy analysis (RDA). The results showed that:① Compared with the corn soil, the content of particulate organic nitrogen, light fraction organic nitrogen, microbial biomass nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen in the Stipa bungeana soil increased by 35.3%, 83.3%, 64.2%, and 110.0%, respectively; soluble organic nitrogen and ammonium in the Medicago spp. soil increased by 0.7% and 67.5%, respectively; the asparaginase and protease activities in the Stipa bungeana soil increased by 360% and 144.8%, respectively, indicating that conversion of farmland to forest and grassland has a promoting effect on nitrogen components and conversion enzyme activity; ②The content of organic nitrogen, light organic nitrogen, particulate organic nitrogen, and soluble organic nitrogen in the Prunus davidiana soil was 3.7%, 133.3%, 70.6%, and 28.1% higher than that of the corn soil, respectively. The light fraction organic nitrogen content of the Caragana intermedia soil and microbial biomass nitrogen content of the Prunus davidiana soil was 16.7% and 49.6% higher than that of the corn soil, respectively. Protease activity in the Caragana intermedia and Prunus davidiana soils was higher than in the corn soil, further indicating that the conversion of farmland to forest and grassland promotes the accumulation of nitrogen components and enhances conversion enzyme activity; ③ The RDA and environmental factor explanation rate results indicated that soil water content, pH, and soil organic carbon were the key factors affecting nitrogen distribution and transformation in the mountainous area of southern Ningxia. Overall, the results show that converting farmland into forest and grassland has changed conversion enzyme activity and has promoted the accumulation of nitrogen components in soils. This provides a theoretical basis for ecological restoration and soil quality management in the Loess Plateau.

This study investigated the effects of the program aimed at converting farmland into forest or grassland on the soil bacterial diversity in the Loess Hilly region. Corn land was selected as the experimental control, and Caragana intermedia land and Stipa bungeana land were selected as the experimental lands. Soil from three different land use types were selected as subjects. The soil bacterial communities were analyzed using a high throughput sequencing technique (MiSeq). The sequence region was 16S rRNA V3-V4 variable region. The α diversity, community composition, and relative abundances of the soil bacterial groups were analyzed, in order to explore the effects of soil physical and chemical properties on the bacterial community structure. The results showed that the structure and diversity of the microbial communities differed under the different land use types. At the phylum level, the dominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, and Firmicutes. At the class level, α -Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, β -Proteobacteria, Thermoleophilia, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacilli, and δ -Proteobacteria were predominant. Compared to the corn land, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacteria in the Caragana intermedia land, while Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacteria in the Stipa bungeana land. Soil bacterial diversity was the highest in the shrub land. RDA analysis revealed that soil organic matters and total nitrogen were the most influential environmental factors. It was shown thus that the program of converting farmland into forest or grassland has significantly improved the soil fertility and environmental conditions, and the composition of the soil bacterial community has also been appreciably changed.

Objective: To investigate the association between KCNQ1 gene polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in an admixed ethnic minority, Uyghur population, living in the Northwest region of China., Materials and Methods: We genotyped three tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs2283171, rs11023485, and rs2283208 of the KCNQ1 gene in 1006 T2D participants and 1004 controls and conducted association analysis., Results: The frequencies of the AG and GG genotypes and the G allele of rs2283171 were higher in the control group (51.4%, 22%, and 47.7%, respectively) than in the case group (49%, 17.6%, and 42.1%, respectively). The minor G allele decreased the risk of T2D with a per-allele odds ratio of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70-0.90) for the additive genetic model in univariate analysis (p = 0.0001). After adjustment for the covariates of age, gender, smoking, alcohol use, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC), the diabetic protective effect of the rs2283171-G allele remained. No difference was observed in the frequency distributions of the rs11023485 and rs2283208 genotypes between the two groups., Conclusion: We identified a novel association between rs2283171 of KCNQ1 and T2D in the Uyghur population. Further association and functional studies are required to identify the causal functional variant that is in linkage disequilibrium with this polymorphism.

Two new 3,4-seco-lanostane-type triterpenes, named as 15α-hydroxy-3,4-seco-lanosta-4(28),8,24-triene-3,21-dioic acid (1), 5α-hydroxy-3,4-seco-lanosta-4(28),8,24-triene-3,21-dioic acid 3-methyl ester (2), and one new lanostane triterpene 15α-acetoxylhydroxytrametenolic acid (3) together with a known one versisponic acid D (4) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus var. miniatus. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods and comparison with reported data. All four compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines; however, none exhibited inhibitory effects.

Three new bisabolane sesquiterpenoids, inonotic acid A (1), 3-O-formyl inonotic acid A (2), inonotic acid B (3), and one new drimane sesquiterpenoid 3α,6β-dihydroxycinnamolide (4), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of mushroom Inonotus rickii. Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic methods. Compound 4 had moderate inhibitory activity on human colon cancer SW480 (IC50 = 20.4 μmol).

Background: Chromosomal abnormalities have been shown to play an important prognostic role in multiple myeloma (MM). Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (i-FISH) has been much more effective to identify cytogenetic aberrations in MM than conventional cytogenetic technique (CC). To clearly determine the cytogenetic features of Chinese MM patients and identify their prognostic implications, we designed a multicenter study based on i-FISH including 672 patients from 52 hospitals in China., Methods: All 672 patients were systematically screened for the following genomic aberrations: del(13q), IgH rearrangement, del(p53) and 1q21 amplifications., Results: The analysis showed that the chromosomal changes were detected in 22.1% patients by CC and in 82.3% patients by i-FISH. The most common abnormalities by CC were chromosome 1 aberrations (48.4%), -13/13q- (37.6%), hyperdiploidy (36.6%), hypodiploidy (30.1%) and IgH rearrangements (23.7%). The most frequent abnormalities by FISH was del(13q), which was found in 60.4% patients, whereas IgH rearrangement, 1q21 amplification and p53 deletions were detected in 57.6%, 49.0% and 34.7% cases, respectively. By statistical analysis, -13/13q- by CC was associated with low level of platelet (P = 0.015), hyperdiploidy was associated with low level of serum albumin (P = 0.028), and IgH rearrangement by FISH was associated with high level of β2 microglobulin (P = 0.019). Moreover, 1q21 amplification and del(p53) by FISH conferred a high incidence of progressive disease (PD) after initial therapy. Metaphase detection of IgH rearrangements and chromosome 1 aberrations concurrently was associated with a short progression free survival (PFS) (P = 0.036). No significant prognostic implications of other cytogenetic abnormalities were found associated with overall survival and PFS., Conclusions: Chinese MM patients had similar cytogenetic abnormalities compared with the previous reported studies. However, the prognostic significance of FISH aberrations were not clearly determined and further study is required.

The chemical components of the volatiles from the leaves and branches of Larix principis-rupprechtii were analyzed by GC-MS, with their allelopathic effects on the seed germination and growth of L. principis-rupprechtii itself investigated. The results indicated that the volatiles contained 20 major components, and the main constituents were terpenes and their oxidized derivatives, in which, there were 5 monoterpenes and 12 sesquiterpenes. The volatiles from the leaves and branches of L. principis-rupprechtii had significant inhibitory effects on the germination rate, germination speed index, radical length, hypocotyl length, and fresh mass of L. principis-rupprechtii itself, indicating that these volatiles contained potential allelochemicals, which might be related to the higher contents of terpenes and their oxidized derivatives. The allelopathic effects of the volatiles affected the regeneration of L. principis-rupprechtii, which should be a reason for the degeneration of artificial pure L. principis-rupprechti forest.