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Network analysis has contributed to studies of the interactions of microorganisms and the identification of key populations. However, such analysis has rarely been conducted in the study of reservoir bacterioplankton communities. This study investigated the bacterioplankton community composition in the surface water of the Danjiangkou Reservoir using the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. We observed that the bacterioplankton community primarily consisted of 27 phyla and 336 genera, including Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, demonstrating the richness of the community composition. Redundancy analysis of the bacterioplankton communities and environmental variables showed that the total nitrogen (TN), pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and permanganate index (CODMn) were important factors affecting the bacterioplankton distribution. Network analysis was performed using the relative abundances of bacterioplankton based on the phylogenetic molecular ecological network (pMEN) method. The connectivity of node i within modules (Zi), the connectivity of node i among modules (Pi), and the number of key bacteria were high at the Taizishan and Heijizui sites, which were associated with higher TN contents than at the other sites. Among the physicochemical properties of water, TN, ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N), pH, COD, and dissolved oxygen (DO) might have great influences on the functional units of the bacterial communities in bacterioplankton molecular networks. This study improves the understanding of the structure and function of bacterioplankton communities in the Danjiangkou Reservoir.

The precise control of cardiomyocyte viability is imperative to combat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R), in which apoptosis and pyroptosis putatively contribute to the process. Recent researches indicated that GSDMD is involved in I/R as an executive protein of pyroptosis. However, its effect on other forms of cell death is unclear. We identified that GSDMD and GSDMD-N levels were significantly upregulated in the I/R myocardium of mice. Knockout of GSDMD conferred the resistance of the hearts to reperfusion injury in the acute phase of I/R but aggravated reperfusion injury in the chronic phase of I/R. Mechanistically, GSDMD deficiency induced the activation of PARylation and the consumption of NAD+ and ATP, leading to cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Moreover, PJ34, a putative PARP-1 inhibitor, reduced the myocardial injury caused by GSDMD deficiency. Our results reveal a novel action modality of GSDMD in the regulation of cardiomyocyte death; inhibition of GSDMD activates PARylation, suggesting the multidirectional role of GSDMD in I/R and providing a new theory for clinical treatment.

The purpose is to study the effects of different doses of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) on growth performance, immune and oxidative functions, and intestinal health of weaned rabbits. A total of 600 weaned rabbits weighing about 993.26 g and at 35 d of age were randomly divided into five groups. The control group was fed a basal diet containing 2400 mg/kg soybean oil, and the experimental group was substituted with 600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 mg/kg MCT. The whole trial period lasted for 48 d. The results showed that treatment with 2400 mg/kg MCT significantly increased the weaning survival rate and crude fat digestibility (p 0.05) and dramatically raised the levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgG, IgM, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant capability (p 0.05). The villus height and crypt depth in 1800 mg/kg MCT group were observably enhanced (p 0.05). The abundance of Bacteroidetes was significantly increased in 1800 and 2400 mg/kg MCT groups (p 0.05). In conclusion, 1800 and 2400 mg/kg MCT substituting soybean oil in the diet of weaned rabbits can improve the growth performance and intestinal barrier function of weaned rabbits.

As a representative of second-generation bioenergy plants

Background: Atypical cysts do not diagnostic criteria form classification as any of the variants of renal tumors, which have led to diagnostic difficulties. When these cysts have been encountered in surgical pathology practice it can be easily misdiagnosed as renal carcinoma and results in overtreatment. Case presentation: A 55-year-old Chinese woman with a right renal cystic mass came to our hospital. The computed tomography revealed bilateral cysts in both kidneys. In histology, the right renal cystic mass was arranged by stratified epithelium with short papillary projections and tufting. The covered epithelial cells were characterized by clear cytoplasm and small nuclei. Immunohistochemistry, these epithelial cells were diffusely positive for CK7, CK8, CK18, Vimentin and EMA, weakly positive for RCC and PAX-8, while diffusely negative for AMACR, CD10 and TFE-3. And the Ki-67 positive rate was 3%. Based on the immunohistochemical profile and histological features, the final diagnosis is an atypical renal cyst (clear cell type). The patient underwent right nephrectomy. The patient is alive and without any sign of subsequent renal cancer during 11 months of follow-up. Conclusion: Atypical renal cyst is extremely rare among the routine renal pathological diagnosis, we report this case to enhance the understanding and differential diagnosis of the atypical renal cyst and remind the pathologist of this precancerous lesion, and therefore, to avoid unnecessary or excessive treatment.

Renal tubular epithelial cells may undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in response to stimuli, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, leading to myofibroblast activation and renal fibrosis. The formin mDia1 is required for nucleation and polymerization of actin and the microtubule cytoskeleton. The present study sought to explore the role of mDia1 in EMT of tubular epithelial cells. A rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was established. The expression of TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen III, and mDia1 in the kidneys was examined at day 7 after surgery. The effect of mDia1 on EMT was explored in NRK-52E cells by exposing them to TGF-β1. Increased expression of TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen III, and mDia1 was found in obstructive kidneys of UUO model rats. Exposing rat tubular epithelial cells to TGF-β1 promoted collagen I and collagen III expression but had no effect on mDia1 expression. Silencing mDia1 expression impeded epithelial cell migration as well as reduced TGF-β1, collagen, and Profilin1 expression, whereas mDia1 overexpression exerted an opposite effect. Furthermore, mDia1 regulated the expression of vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin, and E-cadherin and focal adhesion-kinase (FAK)/Src activation through Profilin1. Inhibition of the mDia1 activator RhoA by fasudil reversed EMT, and FAK/Src activation induced by mDia1. In conclusion, mDia1 regulated tubular epithelial cell migration, collagen expression, and EMT in NRK-52E cells exposed to TGF-β1. Thus, suppression of mDia1 activation might be a strategy to counteract renal fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of exosome in cultured in vitro H9C2 myocardial cells injury of diabetic mice and its mechanism. Methods The mouse model of diabetic myocardial injury was established by using db/db mice (n=10) and their mate mice db/+ (n=5). Serum exosomes were isolated and quantitated using the exosome isolation reagent and EXOCET Quantitation kit. The serum exosomes were labeled with PKH26 (red fluorescent cell linker) to detect the endocytosis in H9C2 cells. The expressions of exocrine associated protein and inflammatory cytokines in H9C2 cells with or without exosome stimulation were detected by Western blotting. TUNEL was used to detect apoptosis. A neutralizing antibody of Rab1a was used for blocking experiment. Results Db/db mice produced more exosomes than db/+ mice (30.95×109/ml vs. 10.45×109/ml, P

The Laoguan River is the tributary of Danjiangkou Reservoir located nearest to the water diversion outlet, and water quality here directly affects the safety of the diverted water. To explore the community composition and functional change of bacterioplankton in the Laoguan River before and after the flood season, four representative sites were sampled in the main stream before (May) and after (October) the 2018 and 2019 flood seasons. Water quality was assessed and high-throughput sequencing of bacterioplankton was performed. Yanghe (YH) was slightly disturbed, Xixiabei (XX) was moderately disturbed, Dangziling (DZL) was heavily disturbed, and Zhangying (ZY) was moderately disturbed. In total, 599 genera from 40 phyla were collected. The diversity of bacterioplankton before the flood season was higher than afterwards, and moderate levels of disturbance increased the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. LEfSe analysis indicated that significant differences existed in some dominant phyla; Armatimonadete in Yanghe, Epsilonbacteraeota and Firmicutes in Xixiabei, and Cyanophyta in Dangziling dominated before flood season, while significant differences only occurred in Firmicutes and Cyanophyta in Dangziling after the flood season. The PCoA of the bacterioplankton community showed that the sampling points were distinct before and after the flood season, and that differences among samples were greater before the flood season. The RDA and CCA indicated that total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen were the main environmental factors causing declines in bacterioplankton diversity. PICRUSt showed a total of ten dominant categories of COG function genes. A total of 30 KO function genes related to nitrogen metabolism group also different between the two periods, with greater differences before flood season. The genes

Organochlorine pesticides, especially lindane and endosulfan, have been demonstrated to be both biodegradable and frequently coexistent, but their inhibitory effect has never been studied. In this study, we investigated the effect of endosulfan coexistence on lindane degradation to a lindane-degrading isolate, Novosphingobium barchaimii strain LL02, and mixed enrichment cultures from two different inocula. Our results of the lindane degradation batch experiments demonstrated that endosulfan concentration above 20 mg L

Taiwan is expected to reach super-aged status by 2026, leading to an increased demand for elderly caregiving services. Low local unemployment and a dwindling working-age population mean the island’s care system relies heavily on female foreign domestic workers (FDWs) from Southeast Asian neighbors such as Vietnam to satisfy labor shortages. Although suggested by anecdotal evidence, limited research has been conducted on the link between the shortfall in FDW qualifications, training, preparedness, and expertise and their employment stressors. Therefore, this study aims to assist FDWs by evaluating their stressors and helping them better understand health care delivery by (1) administering the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI) revised 2003 questionnaire, (2) performing semi-structured in-depth one-on-one interviews, (3) classifying interview results according to thematic analysis, and (4) using these themes to devise and deliver a 12-week multilingual health education teach-back program. Our results indicate that Vietnamese FDWs face specific challenges, including language barriers, homesickness, intensive physical and psychological work demands, stress adaptation, and occupational exposures. Despite yielding no significant improvements in caregiving strain, our intervention, conducted at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, pinpoints and classifies areas of grave concern and proposes recommendations that can assist long-term care (LTC) stakeholders in understanding and overcoming their respective challenges, thereby improving the quality of elderly care.

Planktonic fungi are important components of aquatic ecosystems, and analyses of their community composition and function have far-reaching significance for the ecological management and maintenance of the Danjiangkou reservoir. The composition and function of the planktonic fungal community in the surface water layer of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in October 2019 was investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing combined with FUNGuild analyses. According to the results, the reservoir community is primarily composed of 6 phyla 213 genera, with Ascomycota and Basidiomycota being the dominant phyla. The water quality monitoring results for the Danjiangkou Reservoir met the Grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ water quality standards for the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB 38382-2002). A redundancy analysis (RDA) of the planktonic fungal community and environmental factors showed that TN, TP

In this paper, a wideband bandpass filter with a coupled line cross-shaped resonator (CLCSR) is proposed. The proposed bandpass filter is composed of two open-end parallel coupled lines, one short-end parallel coupled line, one branch microstrip line, and the parallel coupled line feed structure. With the use of the even and odd mode approach, the transmission zeros and transmission poles of the proposed bandpass filter are analyzed. The coupling coefficient of the parallel coupled line feed structure is big, so the distance between the parallel coupled line is too small to be processed. A three microstirp lines coupled structure is used to realize strong coupling and cross coupling. This structure also can reduce the return loss in passband and increase the out-of-band rejection. The transmission zeros can be adjusted easily by varying the lengths of the open-end parallel coupled line or the short-end parallel coupled line. The proposed bandpass filter is fabricated and measured. The simulated results agree well with the measured ones, which shows that the design method is valid.

Miscanthus has good tolerance to heavy metals (HMs) and has received increasing attention in studies of HM-contaminated soil remediation. In this study, four Miscanthus cultivars (M. lutarioriparius Xiangnadi NO4, M. sinensis Xiangmang NO1, M. lutarioriparius × M. sinensis hybrid Xiangzamang NO1, and M. floridulus Wujiemang NO1) that grow in China were studied. Their tolerance and enrichment abilities in soils containing 50 mg kg−1 cadmium (Cd) and the structure and function of their rhizosphere bacterial communities during the remediation process were analyzed. The results exhibiting a tolerance index (TI) higher than 75 in roots and the aboveground parts (TI > 60, indicating highly tolerant plants) indicated that all four Miscanthus cultivars were tolerant to high Cd concentrations. Moreover, Cd was mainly enriched in roots, the translocation ability from roots to aboveground parts was weak, and the four cultivars exhibited phytostabilization ability in Cd-contaminated soils. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) analysis showed that the Miscanthus rhizosphere bacterial community comprised 33 phyla and 446 genera, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), such as Bacillus, Sphingomonas, and Mesorhizobium. The addition of Cd affected the Miscanthus rhizosphere bacterial community and reduced community diversity. Phylogenetic molecular ecological networks (pMENs) indicated that Cd addition reduced interactions between Miscanthus rhizosphere bacteria and thereby led to a simpler network structure, increased the number of negative-correlation links, enhanced the competition between rhizosphere bacterial species, reduced the number of key bacteria, and changed the composition of those bacteria. PICRUSt functional predictive analysis indicated that Cd stress reduced soil bacterial functions in the Miscanthus rhizosphere. The results of this study provide a basis for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils by Miscanthus and provide a reference for the subsequent regulation of Miscanthus remediation efficiency by PGPRs or key bacteria.

Introduction: The default mode network (DMN) is selectively vulnerable in brain aging. Little is known about the effect of multimorbidity as a whole onto the brain structural integrity. Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between multimorbidity and the structural integrity of DMN. Methods: We enrolled senior volunteers aged between 60 and 80 years in Hualien County during 2014–2018 and conducted in-person interview to collect information on chronic diseases. Fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were tested. We assessed multimorbidity burden by the cumulative illness rating scale-geriatric (CIRS-G). MRI brain scans were standardized to measure the regional volume within the DMN. In a cross-sectional design, we employed stepwise regression models to evaluate the effects of age, sex, hyperglycemia, and multimorbidity on the DMN. Results: A total of 170 volunteers were enrolled with a mean age of 66.9 years, female preponderance (71%), an average mini-mental state examination score of 27.6, a mean HbA1c of 6.0, and a mean CIRS-G total score (TS) of 7.2. We found that older age was associated with reduced volumes in the hippocampus, left rostral anterior cingulate cortex, right posterior cingulate, right isthmus, precuneus, and right supramarginal. Higher levels of HbA1c and fasting glucose were associated with a reduced volume in the hippocampus only. A higher CIRS-G-TS was associated with reduced volumes in the left posterior cingulate cortex and right supramarginal gyrus; while a higher CIRS-G severity index was associated with a smaller right precuneus and right supramarginal. Conclusions: In the DMN, hippocampal volume shows vulnerability to aging and hyperglycemia, whereas the posterior cingulate, supramarginal, and precuneus cortices may be the key sites to reflect the total effects of multimorbidity.

Background. Heart failure (HF) is the terminal stage of all cardiovascular events. Although implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapies have reduced mortality among the high-risk HF population, it is necessary to determine whether certain factors can predict mortality even after cardiac device implantation. Growth stimulation expressed gene 2 (ST2) is an emerging biomarker for HF patient stratification in different clinical settings. Aims. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between baseline soluble ST2 (sST2) levels in serum and the clinical outcomes of high-risk HF patients with device implantation. Methods. Between January 2017 and August 2018, we prospectively recruited consecutive patients implanted with an ICD for heart failure, with LVEF ≤35% as recommended, and analyzed the basic characteristics, baseline serum sST2, and NT-proBNP levels, with at least 1-year follow-up. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint. Results. During a 643-day follow-up, all-cause mortality occurred in 16 of 150 patients (10.67%). Incidence of all-cause mortality increased significantly in patients with sST2 levels above 34.98846 ng/ml (16.00% vs. 5.33%, P = 0.034 ). After adjusting the model (age, gender, device implantation, prevention of sudden death, LVEDD, LVEF, WBC and CLBBB, hsTNT, etiology, and eGFR) and the model combined with NT-proBNP, the risk of all-cause death was increased by 2.5% and 1.9%, respectively, per ng/ml of sST2. The best sST2 cutoff for predicting all-cause death was 43.42671 ng/ml (area under the curve: 0.72, sensitive: 0.69, and specificity: 0.69). Compared to patients with sST2 levels below 43.42671 ng/ml, the risk of all-cause mortality was higher in those with values above the threshold (5.1% vs. 21.2%, P = 0.002 ). ST2 level ≥43.42671 ng/ml was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (HR: 3.30 [95% CI 1.02–10.67]). Age (HR: 1.06 [95% CI: 1.01–1.12]) and increased NT-proBNP per 100 (HR: 1.02 [95% CI: 1.01–1.03]) were also associated with all-cause mortality in ICD patients. Conclusions. sST2 level was associated with risk of all-cause mortality, and a threshold of 43.43 ng/ml showed good distinguishing performance to predict all-cause mortality in patients with severe heart failure, recommended for ICD implantation. Patients with sST2 levels more than 43.42671 ng/ml even after ICD implantation should therefore be monitored carefully.

A previous study by our group found that inhibition of nischarin promotes neurite outgrowth and neuronal regeneration in Neuro-2a cells and primary cortical neurons. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that nanomaterials have good prospects in treatment of spinal cord injury. We proposed that small interfering RNA targeting nischarin (Nis-siRNA) delivered by polyethyleneimine-alginate (PEI-ALG) nanoparticles promoted motor function recovery in rats with spinal cord injury. Direct microinjection of 5 μL PEI-ALG/Nis-siRNA into the spinal cord lesion area of spinal cord injury rats was performed. From day 7 after surgery, Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan score was significantly higher in rats from the PEI-ALG/Nis-siRNA group compared with the spinal cord injury group and PEI-ALG/Control-siRNA group. On day 21 after injection, hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the necrotic area was reduced in the PEI-ALG/Nis-siRNA group. Immunohistochemistry and western blot assay results confirmed successful inhibition of nischarin expression and increased protein expression of growth-associated protein-43 in the PEI-ALG/Nis-siRNA group. These findings suggest that a complex of PEI-ALG nanoparticles and Nis-siRNA effectively suppresses nischarin expression, induces expression of growth-associated protein-43, and accelerates motor function recovery after spinal cord injury.

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Xin Huang Pian skin patches for patients with acute gouty arthritis.In China, patients with acute gouty arthritis benefit from skin patcheses with herbal medicines. But the clinical effects of skin patches with Xin Huang Pian are rarely reported.A Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled Trial.The trial was performed from January 2015-December 2018 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in China. It was conducted with one intervention group (skin patches of Xin Huang Pian, N = 30) and one active control group (skin patches of Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel, N = 31). Participants and study investigators were both blinded to the treatment assignments. The primary outcomes were the improvement of joints' symptoms. The secondary outcomes were changes in white blood cells, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein.Skin patches of Xin Huang Pian showed quick effect on decreasing joint pain at 3rd day of treatment. Wherever only at 7th day, Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel markedly lowered joint pain. Xin Huang Pian also showed superior effect than Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel on improving joint swelling and range of motion and decreasing the levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. No adverse reactions were observed in skin patches of Xin Huang Pian treatment.Skin patches of Xin Huang Pian appeared to be safe and efficacious for relieving joint symptoms in patients with acute gouty arthritis. The mechanism might be associated with the decreased levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.Skin-patcheses with Xin Huang Pian are more effective than Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel on improving joint pain, swelling and range of motion. Xin Huang Pian treatment showed superior effects compared with Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel on decreasing levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Patients with acute gouty arthritis may benefit from skin patches of Xin Huang Pian for effective relief from joint pain and swelling. Chinese Clinical Trial Registration: ChiCTR-TRC-1300 4122.目的: 评估新癀片贴剂治疗急性痛风性关节炎的有效性和安全性。 背景: 在中国,患有急性痛风性关节炎的患者可使用草药药贴。但关于新癀片贴剂临床疗效的报道较少。 设计: 随机、双盲、阳性对照试验。 方法: 于2015年1月至2018年12月在中国中山大学附属第一医院开展此项试验。该试验分为干预组1例(新癀片贴剂,N=30)和阳性对照组1例(双氯芬酸二乙胺乳胶剂贴剂,N=31)。在治疗任务中,随机分配受试者和研究人员。主要研究结果是发现关节症状得到改善,其次是白细胞、红细胞沉降率和C反应蛋白的变化。 结果: 治疗第3天,新癀片贴剂对缓解关节疼痛有明显疗效。而双氯芬酸二乙胺乳胶剂贴剂仅在治疗第7天发现对缓解关节疼痛有明显疗效。在改善关节肿胀和活动度以及降低C反应蛋白水平和红细胞沉降率方面,新癀片疗效优于双氯芬酸二乙胺乳胶剂。使用新癀片贴剂未见不良反应。 结论: 新癀片贴剂在治疗急性痛风性关节炎方面安全有效,其作用机制可能与C反应蛋白水平和红细胞沉降率降低有关。 影响: 在改善关节疼痛、肿胀和活动度方面,新癀片疗效优于双氯芬酸二乙胺乳胶剂。与双氯芬酸二乙胺乳胶剂相比,新癀片在降低C反应蛋白水平和红细胞沉降率方面的作用更为明显。急性痛风性关节炎患者可使用新癀片贴剂有效缓解关节疼痛和肿胀。 中国临床试验注册中心: ChiCTR-TRC-1300 4122.

Sample preparation is one of the essential processes for most biochemical assays on biochips. Many studies have been conducted for dealing with the reactant minimization problem during sample preparation. Nevertheless, those approaches try to minimize reactant consumption at the cost of more extra operations, which may lead to deterioration of reactant and even wrong results. In this paper, we propose a time-constrained sample preparation algorithm for reactant minimization on digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs). Starting from a given reactant-minimized solution, the proposed algorithm tries to incrementally reduce the operation count at the cost of more reactant consumption to meet the given timing constraint. The experimental results show that our algorithm achieves a 33% reactant reduction over a delay-optimal method with the same operation time. Meanwhile, the proposed method can save 5% operation count as compared with a state-of-the-art reactant minimization algorithm under the same reactant consumption.

Objectives To describe the distribution and estimate the mortality risks of degenerative dementias and nondegenerative conditions in a memory clinic. Methods We enrolled 727 consecutive patients with cognitive complaints who visited the memory clinic in Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital during 2013 to 2016. Three main diagnostic groups were defined: pure type dementia, in which only one type of dementia was diagnosed, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), Parkinson disease with dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD); mixed type dementia; and nondegenerative conditions. We described the frequency of different diagnoses and employed Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine the mortality risks for each diagnostic group after adjusting for age, sex, education, and cognitive status. All patients alive on or after September 30, 2018, were censored in the analysis. Results Two-thirds of patients (n = 496, 68.2%) were diagnosed with degenerative dementias. Pure type to mixed type dementia ratio was about 2: 1. AD remained the most common pure dementia subtype, followed by VaD and PDD. Among all nondegenerative conditions, depression/anxiety and subjective cognitive decline were the most common diagnoses. During a mean follow-up of 3.4 years, 150 deaths were documented, and the mortality risk was 61 deaths/1000 person-years. Mortality risks were associated with age, sex, education, and cognitive function at diagnosis but did not differ by diagnostic group. Conclusions Clinical diagnoses for patients with cognitive complaints are diverse, and nearly one-third are of nondegenerative conditions. Baseline cognitive function is a stronger predictor for survival than clinical diagnosis.

Microbial communities play crucial roles in the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. To our knowledge, the compositions and functions of rhizosphere communities in riparian buffer strips have not been reported. In this study, rhizosphere soil samples were collected from herbs (

Background The mortality from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is high, and its exact pathogenesis remains unclear, which forms a major obstacle for prevention and treatment of this disease. In the present study, we used digital gene expression (DGE) to detect the differentially expressed genes of the lung at 4 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure in a mouse model. Methods Mice were treated with LPS or control saline by intratracheal instillation for 4 h, and their lung tissues were collected for DGE analysis. We used a false discovery rate ≤ 0.001 and an absolute value of the log 2 ratio ≥ 1 as the thresholds for judging the significance of any difference in gene expression between the two members of each pair of mice. Results We obtained 3,387,842 clean tags (i.e., after filtering to remove potentially erroneous tags) and about 84,513 corresponding distinct clean tags (i.e., types of tag). Approximately 91.20% of the clean tags could be mapped, and 82.71% could be uniquely mapped, to the reference tags, and 3.82% were unknown tags. At least 2200 differentially expressed genes were identified and analyzed for enrichment of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway. Twenty genes with the greatest difference in expression levels between the two members of every pair of mice were chosen. The majority of these genes are involved in signaling transduction, molecular adhesion, and metabolic pathways. Conclusions Using the powerful technology of DGE, we present, to our knowledge, the first in-depth transcriptomic analysis of mouse lungs after LPS exposure. We found some differentially expressed genes that might play important roles in the pathogenesis of ARDS.

Land use change is an important factor affecting soil carbon and nitrogen cycle, and this is a hot spot in the study of global climate change. Based on the fixed depth method (FD) and the equivalent mass method (ESM), we explored the effects of land use change on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) storage from the perspectives of forest reclamation and farmland vegetation restoration in Karst area. The storage of SOC and TN significantly decreased after the fore-sts were converted to grassland, eucalyptus and farmland. On average, the SOC and TN losses calculated by the FD method were 47.4% and 41.6%, respectively, the losses of SOC and TN calculated by ESM method were 54.8% and 49.7%. The SOC and TN storage increased significantly after abandonment of farmland to grassland or planting eucalyptus. On average, the SOC and TN stocks calculated based on the FD method increased by 60.5% and 49.7%, while the SOC and TN calculated by the ESM method increased by 85.5% and 70.8% respectively. The difference between FD method and ESM method was analyzed, it was concluded that FD method ignored the difference of soil bulk density after land use change. Soil bulk density was significantly increased after forest destruction. The loss of SOC and TN storage was overestimated by the FD method. Soil bulk density decreased after vegetation restoration, FD method will underestimate the enhancement of SOC and TN storage. It is suggested that the ESM method should be used to estimate the impacts of land use change on SOC and TN storage.土地利用变化是影响土壤碳、氮循环的重要因素,也是研究全球气候变化的热点.本研究基于固定深度法(FD)和等效质量法(ESM),从森林开垦和退耕还林还草两个角度探讨喀斯特移民迁入区土地利用变化对土壤有机碳(SOC)和全氮(TN)储量的影响.结果表明: 原始森林被开垦为草地、桉树林和农田后,SOC和TN储量均显著减少;基于FD方法计算的SOC和TN储量分别损失了47.4%、41.6%,而通过ESM方法计算的SOC和TN的损失率分别为54.8%、49.7%.农田撂荒为草地及种植桉树后,SOC和TN储量显著增加;基于FD方法计算的SOC和TN储量提高了60.5%、49.7%,通过ESM方法计算的SOC和TN分别增加85.5%和70.8%.FD方法忽略了土地利用变化后土壤容重的差异,而森林开垦后会显著增加土壤容重,因此,FD方法高估了SOC和TN储量;农田恢复后土壤容重减小,FD方法则会低估SOC和TN储量的增加.建议相关研究选择ESM方法测算土地利用变化对SOC和TN储量的影响.

Reservoir/lake sediments are potential pollutant acceptors and sources of pollution. The Danjiangkou Reservoir, as the largest drinking water source in China, is the source water area for the Mid-route Project of the South-North Water Diversion. To illustrate the temporal and spatial changes in the environmental risks of both nutrients and heavy metals in the surface sediments of Danjiangkou Reservoir, the levels of pH, OM, TP, TN, and six kinds of metal elements during the period 2011-2016 were measured at five ecological sites. Canadian freshwater sediment quality guidelines for aquatic environments (from the CCME) were used to assess the potential ecological risks. The results showed that the contents of OM, TP, and TN in the surface sediments were 25.85, 0.57, and 1.34 g·kg

Planktonic fungi are important components of aquatic ecosystems, and analyses of their community composition and function have far-reaching significance for the ecological management and maintenance of reservoir environments. However, few studies have investigated the composition, distribution, and function of planktonic fungi in reservoir ecosystems and their relationship with water quality. Here, the composition of the planktonic fungal community in the surface water layer of the Danjiangkou Reservoir is investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. According to the results, the reservoir community is primarily composed of 7 phyla, including Ascomycota, Rozellomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Zygomycota, comprising 294 genera, demonstrating the rich diversity of this community. Redundancy analysis (RDA) of the planktonic fungal community and environmental factors showed dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), chlorophyll a (Chl a), and permanganate (CODMn) to be important factors influencing the distribution of planktonic fungi. Spearman correlation analysis of the planktonic fungal community composition and diversity indices with physical and chemical water quality parameters showed that the impacts of TN, COD and DO were the most significant. The results of this study on the planktonic fungal community in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area using high-throughput sequencing revealed that the community is sensitive to water quality parameters. This result provides a reference for studying the composition and distribution of the planktonic fungal community in Danjiangkou Reservoir and its role in the biogeochemical cycle.

Returning farmland to forests is important for the protection of ecological values. Eucommia ulmoides is considered to be a suitable species for reforestation in the hilly red soil region of southern China. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the water supply and demand of an E. ulmoides plantation to provide insights into the feasibility of large-scale planting for ecological restoration and forest management activities in the hilly red soil region of southern China. With the measured precipitation, surface runoff and interflow and actual evapotranspiration (ETc) estimated by the modified P–M model, soil water storage (SWS) was estimated based on the water balance equation. Monthly variations of SWS were then compared with in situ measured SWS. The results showed that the estimated mean monthly water losses (the sum of the surface runoff, interflow and ETc) were 139.8 mm in a wet year and 120.0 mm in a dry year, while the measured mean monthly water input values (net precipitation) were 131.2 mm in a wet year and 70.8 mm in a dry year. Net soil water storage (ΔSWS) was negative in each month of the growing season in a dry year, but the soil water deficit was replenished during the following season. The model performance showed that the modified P–M model can be adapted to estimate the soil water storage in other forest catchments where no adequate in situ data are available. As a result of estimating the water balance and observing soil water storage in two different hydrological years, E. ulmoides is recommended as a suitable forest rehabilitation species in the study area, and a suitable plant region has been defined by the GIS technique based on the water balance model.

This paper introduces the current situation and existing problems of coal water slurry gasification technology (CWS). Sinopec Qilu combines with the structural characteristics of gasifier burner, analyzes the phenomenon of the short service life of gasifier burner from various perspectives, and expounds reasons. The requirements of CWS gasification for the fuel burner are given, and the new idea used in jet-nozzle design is also given in this paper.

Objective: To test the feasibility of establishing a senior volunteer cohort and describe vascular risks, cognitive function, and brain aging indices in a pilot study. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 40 senior volunteers from the Tzu Chi Foundation and other organizations in Hualien in 2014–2015. We conducted in-person interviews to collect information on demographic features, physical fitness, dietary habits, comorbidities, and narratives of aging. Vascular risks including blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), serum glucose level, and lipid profile were examined. Each participant underwent a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Descriptive statistics and tabulation were applied to characterize this pilot cohort. Results: There were more volunteers from the Tzu Chi Foundation (n = 25) than other organizations. The mean age was 66.7 years (standard deviation = 5.1) and there was a female predominance (M:F = 13:27). The mean number of comorbid chronic diseases was 2.1 and the mean BMI was 24.5. Most participants (77.5%) engaged in outdoor walking activities every week. Nutrient intake in vegetarians (n = 18) did not differ from nonvegetarians except for lower Vitamin B12 levels (mean = 0.9 μg). All participants but one scored 26 or above in the Mini–Mental State Examination (mean = 28.4). Among the other cognitive tests, only one task related to inhibition and switching abilities was at the low average level. The mean values of vascular risk markers were within the normal ranges. The most common genotype of apolipoprotein E was μ3/μ3 (n = 32). The quality of MRI was sufficient for volumetric analysis. Conclusion: It is feasible to establish a volunteer-based cohort to study brain aging in Taiwan. The senior volunteers were physically active and cognitively healthy. Vascular risks were well distributed among these participants. Future longitudinal study will allow us to observe changes in these markers over time and provide dynamic evidence about vascular health and cognitive aging.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea involves repeated nocturnal desaturation and sleep fragmentation that leads to poor sleep quality, anxiety, and depression. This study aimed to investigate short- and long-term improvements in the anxiety and depression of patients with different obstructive sleep apnea treatments. Methods This is a prospective, non-randomized hospital-based study evaluated 55 patients (46 male, 9 female) with obstructive sleep apnea. The patients were divided into three groups based on different treatment: uvulopalatopharyngoplasty group, continuous positive airway pressure group, and no treatment group (by their own decision). They completed the Beck Depression Inventory II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index before treatment and at one and six months after treatment. Results Compared to the no treatment group, the surgery and continuous positive airway pressure groups had higher body mass index, AHI, and Epworth sleepiness scale, but no difference in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Chinese Health Questionnaire-12, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. The continuous positive airway pressure and surgery groups still had no improvements in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Chinese Health Questionnaire-12, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores one month after treatment. At six months after treatment, the continuous positive airway pressure group had significantly decreased Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Chinese Health Questionnaire-12, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory, whereas the surgery group had significant difference in Beck Anxiety Inventory only and the no treatment group still had no significant difference in any of the parameters. Conclusions Continuous positive airway pressure can improve the sleep quality, quality of life, depression, and anxiety of obstructive sleep apnea patients after six months of treatment. However, surgery can significantly improve anxiety only in the same period.

Two energy crops (maize and soybean) were used in the remediation of cadmium-contaminated soils. These crops were used because they are fast growing, have a large biomass and are good sources for bioenergy production. The total accumulation of cadmium in maize and soybean plants was 393.01 and 263.24μg pot-1, respectively. The rhizosphere bacterial community composition was studied by MiSeq sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequences. The rhizosphere bacteria were divided into 33 major phylogenetic groups according to phyla. The dominant phylogenetic groups included Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Bacteroidetes. Based on principal component analysis (PCA) and unweighted pair group with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) analysis, we found that the bacterial community was influenced by cadmium addition and bioenergy cropping. Three molecular ecological networks were constructed for the unplanted, soybean- and maize-planted bacterial communities grown in 50mgkg-1 cadmium-contaminated soils. The results indicated that bioenergy cropping increased the complexity of the bacterial community network as evidenced by a higher total number of nodes, the average geodesic distance (GD), the modularity and a shorter geodesic distance. Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the keystone bacteria connecting different co-expressed operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The results showed that bioenergy cropping altered the topological roles of individual OTUs and keystone populations. This is the first study to reveal the effects of bioenergy cropping on microbial interactions in the phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soils by network reconstruction. This method can greatly enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of plant-microbe-metal interactions in metal-polluted ecosystems.

This study investigated the relationships between consumer involvement and each of the three facets of interactivity: control, communication direction, and synchronicity, as well as the moderating effect of need for cognition on these relationships. An experiment was designed to test the proposed hypotheses and 320 volunteers participated in this experiment. The empirical results show that all three facets of interactivity positively affect consumer involvement, and that the need for cognition moderates such positive relationships in various ways. The effects of control and communication direction on involvement are stronger for consumers with a high degree of need for cognition than for those with a low degree of need for cognition. On the other hand, the effect of synchronicity on involvement is more conspicuous when the degree of need for cognition is low. These results suggest the active nature of control and two-way communication compared to the passive nature of synchronicity. Finally, managerial implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

The P-sets consists of an internal P-set and an outer P-set . It has dynamic characteristics. In order to obtain a new method of generation and identification information, the paper proposes the concepts of-recursive genetic information and-recursive genetic degree by using the dynamic characteristic of the internal P-set. Also the structure and characteristics about-recursive genetic information are given, including the the identification theorems and the identification criterions for the-recursive genetic information. Finally, the application example of the-recursive genetic information is provided. The structure of the-recursive genetic information is a new mathematical tool to process informaiton that has inward contraction characteristic.

Our previous work has shown that peri-sciatic administration of recombinant rat TNF-α (rrTNF) induces mechanical allodynia and up-regulation of TNF-α in the spinal dorsal horn of rats; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In the current study, we found that the levels of phosphorylated Src-family kinases (p-SFKs) and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) were significantly increased in bilateral lumbar spinal dorsal horn on day 3 after rrTNF administration. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed that p-SFKs and p-p38 MAPK were nearly restricted to the microglia. Intrathecal delivery of SFKs inhibitor PP2 or p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580, started 30 min before rrTNF administration and given once daily thereafter for 7 days, blocked mechanical allodynia in bilateral hind paws and increase of TNF-α expression in the spinal dorsal horn. Moreover, PP2 inhibited the up-regulation of p-p38 MAPK induced by rrTNF. We also found that intrathecal injection of TNF-α neutralization antibody alleviated mechanical allodynia in bilateral hind paws and suppressed up-regulation of p-SFKs and p-p38 MAPK. These results suggest that activation of the SFKs/p38 MAPK pathway in microglia and subsequent TNF-α expression in the spinal dorsal horn may contribute to the mechanical hyperalgesic state induced by peri-sciatic administered rrTNF.

Plant diversity in experimental systems often enhances ecosystem productivity, but the mechanisms causing this overyielding are only partly understood. Intercropping faba beans (Vicia faba L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) result in overyielding and also, enhanced nodulation by faba beans. By using permeable and impermeable root barriers in a 2-y field experiment, we show that root–root interactions between faba bean and maize significantly increase both nodulation and symbiotic N2 fixation in intercropped faba bean. Furthermore, root exudates from maize promote faba bean nodulation, whereas root exudates from wheat and barley do not. Thus, a decline of soil nitrate concentrations caused by intercropped cereals is not the sole mechanism for maize promoting faba bean nodulation. Intercropped maize also caused a twofold increase in exudation of flavonoids (signaling compounds for rhizobia) in the systems. Roots of faba bean treated with maize root exudates exhibited an immediate 11-fold increase in the expression of chalcone–flavanone isomerase (involved in flavonoid synthesis) gene together with a significantly increased expression of genes mediating nodulation and auxin response. After 35 d, faba beans treated with maize root exudate continued to show up-regulation of key nodulation genes, such as early nodulin 93 (ENOD93), and promoted nitrogen fixation. Our results reveal a mechanism for how intercropped maize promotes nitrogen fixation of faba bean, where maize root exudates promote flavonoid synthesis in faba bean, increase nodulation, and stimulate nitrogen fixation after enhanced gene expression. These results indicate facilitative root–root interactions and provide a mechanism for a positive relationship between species diversity and ecosystem productivity.