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An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the additions of different nitrogen forms on nitrogen transformation in red soils of subtropical forest under soil moisture conditions with 40%, 70% and 110% of water holding capacity (WHC). The results showed that soil net mineralization and ammonification rates were maximum at 70% WHC and minimum at 40% WHC. Compared with the control, the addition of NO3--N decreased the soil net mineralization and ammonification rates by 56.1% and 43.0% under 70% WHC condition, and decreased by 68.2% and 19.0% under 110% WHC, respectively. However, the proportion of ammonification to mineralization increased at 70% and 110% WHC, which suggested that nitrate addition inhibited the nitrification. With addition of NO3--N at 110% WHC, the net nitrification rate was lowest while N2O emission was highest with the concomitant decrease of nitrate content, indicating that N2O emission was largely derived from denitrification. However, at 40% WHC and 70% WHC, the maximum N2O flux was found at the early stage of incubation. Even with addition of NH4+-N and NO3--N, N2O flux did not change much at the latter stage of incubation, indicating that autotrophic nitrification was dominant for N2O production at the early stage of incubation. Under 40% WHC condition, soluble organic carbon increased more and it increased largely with NH4+ -N addition, which meant NH4+-N addition could enhance the mineralization ol soil organic matter. Under 40% and 110% WHC conditions, the addition ol NH4+ -N increased significantly the soil soluble organic nitrogen (SON) by 73.6% and 176.6% compared with the control, respectively. A significant increase of 78.7% for SON was only found at 40% WHC under addition ol NO3--N compared with the control. These results showed that high soil moisture condition and addition ol NH4+ - were ol benefit to SON formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-TEFb (CDK9/cyclin T) plays a central role in androgen receptor (AR)-mediated transactivation by phosphorylating both RNA polymerase 2 complex proteins and AR at S81. CDK9 dephosphorylation mobilizes P-TEFb from an inhibitory 7SK ribonucleoprotein complex, but mechanisms targeting phosphatases to P-TEFb are unclear. We show that AR recruits protein phosphatase 1α (PP1α), resulting in P-TEFb mobilization and CDK9-mediated AR S81 phosphorylation. This increased pS81 enhances p300 recruitment, histone acetylation, BRD4 binding and subsequent further recruitment of P-TEFb, generating a positive feedback loop that sustains transcription. AR S81 is also phosphorylated by CDK1, and blocking basal CDK1-mediated S81 phosphorylation markedly suppresses AR activity and initiation of this positive feedback loop. Finally, androgen-independent AR activity in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells is driven by increased CDK1-mediated S81 phosphorylation. Collectively these findings reveal a mechanism involving PP1α, CDK9 and CDK1 that is used by AR to initiate and sustain P-TEFb activity, which may be exploited to drive AR in CRPC.

The elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (eCO2) is expected to increase the labile C input to the soil, which may stimulate microbial activity and soil N2O emissions derived from nitrification and denitrification. However, few studies studied the effect of eCO2 on N2O emissions from maize field under the free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) conditions in the warm temperate zone. Here, we report a study conducted during the 12th summer maize season under long-term eCO2, aiming to investigate the effect of eCO2 on N2O emissions. Moreover, we tested zero and conventional N fertilization treatments, with maize being grown under either eCO2 or ambient CO2 (aCO2). We hypothesized that N2O emissions would be increased under eCO2 due to changes in soil labile C and mineral N derived from C-deposition, and that the increase would be larger when eCO2 was combined with conventional N fertilization. We also measured the activities of some soil extracellular enzymes, which could reflect soil C status. The results showed that, under eCO2, seasonal N2O and CO2 emissions increased by 12.4–15.6% (p < 0.1) and 13.8–18.5% (p < 0.05), respectively. N fertilization significantly increased the seasonal emissions of N2O and CO2 by 33.1–36.9% and 17.1–21.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the combination of eCO2 and N fertilization increased the intensity of soil N2O and CO2 emissions. The marginal significant increase in N2O emissions under eCO2 was mostly due to the lower soil water regime after fertilization in the study year. Dissolved organic C (DOC) and microbial biomass C (MBC) concentration showed a significant increase at most major stages, particularly at the tasseling stage during the summer maize growth period under eCO2. In contrast, soil mineral N showed a significant decrease under eCO2 particularly in the rhizospheric soils. The activities of C-related soil extracellular enzymes were significantly higher under eCO2, particularly at the tasseling stage, which coincided with concurrent increased DOC and MBC under eCO2. We conclude that eCO2 increases N2O emissions, and causes a higher increase when combined with N fertilization, but the increase extent of N2O emissions was influenced by environmental factors, especially by soil water, to a great extent. We highlighted the urgent need to monitor long-term N2O emissions and N2O production pathways in various hydrothermal regimes under eCO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To systematically evaluate the overall efficacy and safety of current anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies for treatment of patients with advanced or refractory cancer. Results: Fifty-one trials including 6,800 patients were included. The overall response rates for melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were 29% (95% CI: 1.53−2.41), 21% (95% CI: 17%−25%) and 21% (95% CI: 16%−27%) respectively. While the overall adverse effects rate for melanoma, NSCLC, RCC were 16% (95% CI: 6%−28%), 11% (95% CI: 8%−14%) and 20% (95% CI: 11%−32%) respectively. Tumor PD-L1 expression and patient smoking status might serve as biomarkers to predict response of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody treatment. Compared to tumors with negative PD-L1 expression, tumors with positive PD-L1 expression had a significantly higher clinical response rate (41.4% versus 26.5%) with RR = 1.92 (95% CI: 1.53−2.41, P < 0.001). Smoker patients also showed a significantly higher response rate (33.7%) than patients who never smoked (4.2%) with RR = 6.02 (95% CI: 1.22−29.75, P = 0.028). Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab were associated with significantly increased response rate (RR = 2.89, 95% CI: 2.46−3.40, P < 0.001), reduced death risk (HR= 0.53; 95% CI: 0.48−0.57; P < 0.001), and decreased adverse effect rate (RR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.30−0.80, P = 0.004) compared with other therapies. Experimental Design Clinical trials reporting response or safety of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies for advanced or refractory cancer patients published before January 31th 2016 were searched in PubMed and EMBASE database. Meta-analyses using random effects models were used to calculate the overall estimate. Conclusions: Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies have high response rates and low adverse effect rates for advanced or refractory cancers.

Background: It is well known that litter releases dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which would impact the role of litter in soil nitrogen (N) transformation. Thus, this study aimed to explore the effect of litters decomposed at different levels on soil N dynamics in the presence of labile carbon. Methods: An incubation experiment was carried out with fresh litter (SF), partially decomposed litter (SP) or the combined addition of glucose and alanine in soils for 210 days. The influence of litter addition on soil was investigated by changes of soil soluble organic N, NH4+‐N, NO3−‐N and microbial biomass N (MBN). Results: There was higher soil NH4+‐N and NO3−‐N in SF, nonetheless lower in SP than control. Litter addition decreased soil dissolved organic N (DON), but increased DOC compared to control. These results suggested that the effects of litter on soil N might change with the varying status of decomposed litter. Alanine addition increased each soil N form, which was more of DON and less of MBN in SP than SF. After adding amino acids, the priming amount of DON was computed positive at 0.5 day with the highest soil MBN, simultaneously. Moreover, the net N transformation rate preceded the gross rate. Glucose addition also improved soil NH4+‐N and DON more in SP than SF, while lessened MBN in SF than SP. These results indicated that the differential effect of labile C sources, alanine and glucose, on soil N might be related to the chemistry of the differently decomposed litter. As a labile C source, glucose had a lesser effect on soil N than alanine. Conclusions: Our findings highlighted the coexistence of litters at varied decomposition status and C sources released from litters, which are contributed to the N dynamics in soil and are critical for the ecological functioning of the degraded litter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ECL biosensor was designed on basis of heterodimerization interaction between CD44 and hemopexin-like domain (PEX) of MMP-14 (PEX-14). • The Ru complex attached to the Co, Mo 2 C-CNF@PDA-modified surface enhance the ECL signal gained, which facilitates the sensitivity of detection. • No need to tag the protein thus maintains the protein activity to some extent. CD44, which is expressed frequently and predominantly in invasive tumor cells, is substrate of a membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, also named MMP-14) and its processing accompanies promotion of cell migration. The hemopexin-like domain of MMP-14 (PEX-14) is the region responsible for association with CD44. An electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor was developed firstly for highly sensitive quantification of CD44 based on heterodimerization interaction between CD44 and PEX-14. In the work, PEX-14 was chosen to specially recognize target CD44. ECL emitter, ruthenium complex (Ru), was covalently coupled onto the surface of Co, Mo 2 C-carbon nanofiber@polydopamine (Co, Mo 2 C-CNF@PDA) modified glassy carbon electrode. PEX-14 was further attached to the modified surface, the ECL fabricated successfully. In theory, the ECL signal decreases after binding to CD44. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the designed biosensor exhibited excellent sensitivity with a wide linear range of 0.002–250 ng mL−1 and a detection limit of 0.001 ng mL−1. The biosensor is demonstrated by detecting of living cells expressing CD44 (MDA-MB-231 cancer cells as model). The development of the label-free ECL biosensor integrated with functionalized nanofiber will provide a prospect for studying invasion and metastasis of cancer cells based on the interaction between CD44 and PEX of MMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A sandwich electrogenerated chemiluminescence biosensor was firstly developed for determination of matrix metalloproteinase; • Non-specific adsorption due to cleavage is avoided; • Sensitivity is enhanced since sandwich mode provide zero signal background; • The detection of MMPs is more specialized since one MMP identified by the two peptides. A novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor based on sandwich structure between target and inhibitory peptides was firstly developed for determination of matrix metalloproteinase and its expressing cancer cells. Here, target MMP-14 was used as model protein. Inhibitory peptide (AP1) was used as capture probe. Ruthenium complex (Ru) tagged inhibitory peptide (AP2) was used as signal probe (Ru-AP2) in this work. The biosensors were fabricated by covalently coupling Cys group of AP1 onto the surface of functional fullerene-chitosan (C60-Chit) nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode. Upon binding of MMP-14, Ru-AP2 further specially bound to MMP-14 and a sandwich format formed, and increasing ECL signal was obtained. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the designed biosensor exhibited excellent sensitivity with a wide linear range of 0.05–7 pg mL−1 and a detection limit of 0.008 pg mL−1. The biosensor is demonstrated by detecting of living cells expressing MMPs (MDA-MB-231 cancer cells as model) and distinguish the expression MMPs in different cells. Our work firstly fabricated a sandwich ECL biosensor for determination of MMPs and MMPs relative cancer cells based on the interaction between peptide inhibitors and PEX of MMPs, which will provide a platform to study the mechanism of MMP and inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone metastasis is common in breast cancer and more effective therapies are required, however, its molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Additionally, the role of the m 6 A reader YTHDF1 in bone metastasis of breast cancer has not been reported. Here, we reveal that the increased expression of YTHDF1 is clinically correlated with breast cancer bone metastases. YTHDF1 promotes migration, invasion, and osteoblast adhesion and induces osteoclast differentiation of cancer cells in vitro and vivo. Mechanically, RNA-seq, MeRIP-seq and RIP-seq analysis, and molecular biology experiments demonstrate that YTHDF1 translationally enhances EZH2 and CDH11 expression by reading m 6 A-enriched sites of their transcripts. Moreover, adeno-associated virus (AAV) was used to deliver shYTHDF1 (shYTHDF1-AAV) in intratibial injection models, eliciting a significant suppressive effect on breast cancer bone metastatic formation and osteolytic destruction. Overall, we uncovered that YTHDF1 promotes osteolytic bone metastases of breast cancer by inducing EZH2 and CDH11 translation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Raising attentions have focused on how to alleviate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from orchard system while simultaneously increase fruit production. Microalgae-based biofertilizer represents a promising resource for improving soil fertility and higher productivity. However, the effects of microalgae application more especially live microalgae on GHG emissions are understudied. In this study, fruit yield and quality, GHG emissions, as well as soil organic carbon and nitrogen fractions were examined in a hawthorn orchard, under the effects of live microalgae-based biofertilizer applied at three doses and two modes. Compared with conventional fertilization, microalgae improved hawthorn yield by 15.7%-29.6% with a maximal increment at medium dose by root application, and significantly increased soluble and reducing sugars contents at high dose. While microalgae did not increase GHG emissions except for nitrous oxide at high dose by root application, instead it significantly increased methane uptake by 1.5-2.3 times in root application. In addition, microalgae showed an increasing trend in soil organic carbon content, and significantly increased the contents of soil dissolved organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon, as well as soil ammonium nitrogen and dissolved organic nitrogen at medium dose with root application. Overall, the results indicated that the live microalgae could be used as a green biofertilizer for improving fruit yield without increasing GHG emissions intensity and the comprehensive greenhouse effect, in particular at medium dose with root application. We presume that if lowering chemical fertilizer rates, application of the live microalgae-based biofertilizer may help to reduce nitrous oxide emissions without compromising fruit yield and quality., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ma et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Biodegradable polymer blends filled with rod-like polysaccharide nanocrystals have attracted much attention because each component in this type of ternary composites is biodegradable, and the final properties are more easily tailored comparing to those of binary composites. In this work, chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) were used as nanofiller for the biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/polylactide (PLA) immiscible blend to prepare ternary composites for a crystallization study. The results revealed that the crystallization behavior of PCL/PLA blend matrices strongly depended on the surface properties of ChNCs. Non-modified ChNCs and modified ChNCs played completely different roles during crystallization of the ternary systems: the former was inert filler, while the latter acted as anti-nucleator to the PCL phase. This alteration was resulted from the improved ChNC-PCL affinity after modification of ChNCs, which was due to the 'interfacial dilution effect' and the preferential dispersion of ChNCs. This work presents a unique perspective on the nucleation role of ChNCs in the crystallization of immiscible PCL/PLA blends, and opens up a new application scenario for ChNCs as anti-nucleator., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study systematically analyzed the molecular mechanism and function of nuclear factor kappa B subunit 2 (NFKB2) in colorectal cancer (CRC) to investigate the potential of NFKB2 as a therapeutic target for CRC. Various experimental techniques, including RNA sequencing, proteome chip assays, and small molecule analysis, were used to obtain a deeper understanding of the regulation of NFKB2 in CRC. The results revealed that NFKB2 was upregulated in a significant proportion of patients with advanced hepatic metastasis of CRC. NFKB2 played an important role in promoting tumor growth through CD8 + T-cell exhaustion. Moreover, NFKB2 directly interacted with signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (STAT2), leading to increased phosphorylation of STAT2 and the upregulation of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Applying a small molecule inhibitor of NFKB2 (Rg5) led to a reduction in PD-L1 expression and improved response to programmed death-1 blockade-based immunotherapy. In conclusion, the facilitated NFKB2-STAT2/PD-L1 axis may suppress immune surveillance in CRC and targeting NFKB2 may enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies. Our results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the contribution of NFKB2 in CRC immune escape., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. MedComm published by Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association (SCIMEA) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

The management of colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant challenge, necessitating the development of innovative and effective therapeutics. Our research has shown that notoginsenoside Ft1 (Ng-Ft1), a small molecule, markedly inhibits subcutaneous tumor formation in CRC and enhances the proportion of CD8 + T cells in tumor-bearing mice, thus restraining tumor growth. Investigation into the mechanism revealed that Ng-Ft1 selectively targets the deubiquitination enzyme USP9X, undermining its role in shielding β-catenin. This leads to a reduction in the expression of downstream effectors in the Wnt signaling pathway. These findings indicate that Ng-Ft1 could be a promising small-molecule treatment for CRC, working by blocking tumor progression via the Wnt signaling pathway and augmenting CD8 + T cell prevalence within the tumor environment., (Copyright © 2024 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bone metastasis is of common occurrence in renal cell carcinoma with poor prognosis, but no optimal treatment approach has been established for bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma. To explore the potential therapeutic targets for bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma, we profile single cell transcriptomes of 6 primary renal cell carcinoma and 9 bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We also include scRNA-seq data of early-stage renal cell carcinoma, late-stage renal cell carcinoma, normal kidneys and healthy bone marrow samples in the study to better understand the bone metastasis niche. The molecular properties and dynamic changes of major cell lineages in bone metastatic environment of renal cell carcinoma are characterized. Bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma is associated with multifaceted immune deficiency together with cancer-associated fibroblasts, specifically appearance of macrophages exhibiting malignant and pro-angiogenic features. We also reveal the dominance of immune inhibitory T cells in the bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma which can be partially restored by the treatment. Trajectory analysis showes that myeloid-derived suppressor cells are progenitors of macrophages in the bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma while monocytes are their progenitors in primary tumors and healthy bone marrows. Additionally, the infiltration of immune inhibitory CD47 + T cells is observed in bone metastatic tumors, which may be a result of reduced phagocytosis by SIRPA-expressing macrophages in the bone microenvironment. Together, our results provide a systematic view of various cell types in bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma and suggest avenues for therapeutic solutions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Using polysaccharide nanocrystals such as chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) as nanofiller for biodegradable aliphatic polymers is an attractive way of developing all-degradable nanocomposites. Crystallization study is vital for well regulating final performance of these type polymeric nanocomposites. In this work, ChNCs were incorporated with the poly(l-lactide)/poly(d-lactide) blends and as-obtained nanocomposites were used as target samples for the study. The results showed that ChNCs acted as nucleating agent, promoting the formation of stereocomplex (SC) crystallites and accelerating overall crystallization kinetics as a result. Therefore, the nanocomposites possessed higher SC crystallization temperatures and lower apparent activation energy as compared to the blend. However, the formation of homocrystallites (HC) was dominated by nucleation effect of SC crystallites and accordingly, the fraction of SC crystallites reduced more or less in the presence of ChNCs, despite the nanocomposites possessed higher rate of HC crystallization. This study also provided valuable information on accessing more applications of ChNCs to be used as SC nucleator for polylactide., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Inspired by the signal transduction function of organophosphates in biological systems, bioactive organophosphates were utilized for the first time as chiral nodes to dictate the stereoselective assembly of hydrogen-bonded anionic cages. Phosphonomycin (antibiotics), tenofovir (antivirals), adenosine monophosphate (natural product, AMP) and clindamycin phosphate (antibiotics) were assembled with an achiral bis-monourea ligand, thereby leading to the stereoselective formation of quadruple or triple helicates. The extent of the stereoselectivity could be enhanced by either lowering the temperature or adding stronger-binding cations as templates. With the chiral anionic cages as the host, some enantioselectivity was achieved when binding chiral quaternary ammonium cations., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The growth of solid tumors depends on tumor vascularization and the endothelial cells (ECs) that line the lumen of blood vessels. ECs generate a large fraction of ATP through glycolysis, and elevation of their glycolytic activity is associated with angiogenic behavior in solid tumors. 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) positively regulates glycolysis via fructose-2/6-bisphosphate, the product of its kinase activity. Partial inhibition of glycolysis in tumor ECs by targeting PFKFB3 normalizes the otherwise abnormal tumor vessels, thereby reducing metastasis and improving the outcome of chemotherapy. Although a limited number of tool compounds exist, orally available PFKFB3 inhibitors are unavailable. In this study we conducted a high-throughput screening campaign against the kinase activity of PFKFB3, involving 250,240 chemical compounds. A total of 507 initial hits showing >50% inhibition at 20 µM were identified, 66 of them plus 1 analog from a similarity search consistently displayed low IC 50 values (<10 µM). In vitro experiments yielded 22 nontoxic hits that suppressed the tube formation of primary human umbilical vein ECs at 10 µM. Of them, 15 exhibited binding affinity to PFKFB3 in surface plasmon resonance assays, including 3 (WNN0403-E003, WNN1352-H007 and WNN1542-F004) that passed the pan-assay interference compounds screening without warning flags. This study provides potential leads to the development of new PFKFB3 inhibitors., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Anionocages have been developed as a unique family of hydrogen bonded cages. However, strategies for constructing anionocages are mainly limited to that based on (PO 4 3- )-bisurea coordination, neither the ligands nor the anions lack the simplicity and diversity of the maturely developed analogues based on metal coordination (i.e. metallocage). We report herein a more simple strategy for anionocages design based on (RPO 3 2- )-monourea coordination, utilizing monourea rather than bisurea as the hydrogen binding donor, and RPO 3 2- rather than PO 4 3- as the acceptor. Two fluorescent, quadruple helicate anionocages were constructed by a bis-monourea ligand, and dianions PhOPO 3 2- (H 1 ) or HOPO 3 2- (H 1A ), respectively, which were capable of encapsulating a series of cation guests. As revealed by molecular modeling, H 1 features remarkable guest-adaptive cavity breathing without change of the quadruple helicate topology, which allowed the encapsulation of different sized guests in an "induced fit" manner., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Bacterial separation from human blood samples can help with the identification of pathogenic bacteria for sepsis diagnosis. In this work, we report an acoustofluidic device for label-free bacterial separation from human blood samples. In particular, we exploit the acoustic radiation force generated from a tilted-angle standing surface acoustic wave (taSSAW) field to separate E. coli from human blood cells based on their size difference. Flow cytometry analysis of the E. coli separated from red blood cells (RBCs) shows a purity of more than 96%. Moreover, the label-free electrochemical detection of the separated E. coli displays reduced non-specific signals due to the removal of blood cells. Our acoustofluidic bacterial separation platform has advantages such as label-free separation, high biocompatibility, flexibility, low cost, miniaturization, automation, and ease of in-line integration. The platform can be incorporated with an on-chip sensor to realize a point-of-care (POC) sepsis diagnostic device.

An incubation experiment was carried out with the addition of litter filtrate, litter residue and alanine at 25 ℃ for 36 days under 60% and 90%WHC (water holding capacity) conditions. The results showed that alanine was rapidly mineralized in soil, and soil NH 4 + -N content significantly increased by 5.4%-44.7% and 16.1%-41.3%, respectively under 60% and 90%WHC conditions compared with the control. The soil net nitrogen mineralization and ammonification rates in the two treatments were also higher than those in the control at the early stage of incubation. However, the soil NH 4 + -N content was reduced by the addition of filtrate and residue, and the reduction degree of residue was greater. During the incubation, soil NO 3 - -N content showed a linear increasing trend with the incubation time, and it was significantly higher under the 60%WHC condition than that under 90%WHC condition at the end of incubation. The mineralization of soil organic matter was limited by higher soil moisture. Therefore, the soil soluble organic carbon (SOC) content under 90%WHC condition was obviously lower than that under 60%WHC, but nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emission was 1.5-63.0 times higher than that under 60%WHC. Furthermore, N 2 O emission was induced significantly by the addition of litter residue under 60%WHC condition. These results indicated that there were different effects of soluble matter and litter residue on soil nitrogen transformation, and these differences would change dynamically in the decomposition process.

Objective: To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture method of "Huoxue Sanfeng, Shugan Jianpi" (activating blood and eliminating wind, soothing liver and strengthening spleen) on morning blood pressure in patients with cerebral infraction combined with essential hypertension., Methods: Sixty-eight patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 34 cases in each one. The patients in the two groups were treated with acupuncture method of "Xingnao Kaiqiao" (consciousness-restoring resuscitation) and oral administration of nifedipine. In addition, patients in the observation group were treated with acupuncture method of "Huoxue Sanfeng, Shugan Jianpi" that met the criteria of standard manipulation, in which bilateral Renying (ST 9), Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36) and Taichong (LR 3) were selected. The treatment was given once a day, five times a week, for totally six weeks. The improvement and control rate of morning blood pressure in the two groups were observed., Results: (1) After treatment, the morning blood pressures were decreased significantly in the two groups (all P < 0.05); after 15 treatments, the reduction of systolic pressure and diastolic pressure in the observation group was superior to that in the control group, but the difference was not significant (both P > 0.05); after 30 treatments, the reduction of systolic pressure and diastolic pressure in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group (both P < 0.05). (2) After 30 treatments, the control rate of morning blood pressure in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [82.4% (28/34) vs 58.8% (20/34), P < 0.05]., Conclusion: Acupuncture method of "Huoxue Sanfeng, Shugan Jianpi", characterized with standard manipulation criteria, can effectively control morning blood pressure in patients with cerebral infraction combined with essential hypertension.

We previously found hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to be a new proangiogenic factor. However, the mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular effect of this small gas molecule remain largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to identify the essential microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the transduction of H2S signals in vascular endothelial cells (ECs). The expression of miR-640 and its signaling elements, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), hypoxia inducible factor 1-α (HIF1A), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), was measured using quantitative PCR and Western blotting. Overexpression and inhibition of miR-640 were performed to clarify their roles in mediating the effect of H2S. In addition, knockdown of VEGFR2, HIF1A, and mTOR was performed using siRNAs, dominant negative mutants, or inhibitors to examine their roles in the transduction of the H2S signals. miR-640 levels decreased in vascular ECs that were treated with H2S, whereas overexpression of miR-640 blunted the proangiogenic effect of H2S. Knockdown of either VEGFR2 or mTOR blunted the downregulation of miR-640 and the proangiogenic effect induced by H2S. In addition, miR-640 bound to the 3'-UTR of HIF1A mRNA and then inhibited the expression of HIF1A. The inhibition could be recovered by treating cells with H2S. Thus we concluded that miR-640 plays a pivotal role in mediating the proangiogenic effect of H2S; H2S acts through downregulation of the expression of miR-640 and increasing the levels of HIF1A through the VEGFR2-mTOR pathway., (Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.)

The low-risk mild hypertension constitutes a considerable proportion in hypertension. Through searching CNKI, Wanfang database, VIP database and PubMed database, literature during the last 10 years was collected and reviewed. It was indicated that excessive diagnosis, insufficient evidence of drug treatment, and poor drug adherence existed in low-risk mild hypertension, however, acupuncture at Renying (ST 9) and other therapies had remarkable effects. This paper mainly expounded the diagnosis and treatment status of low-risk mild hypertension as well as the research summary of acupuncture for low-risk mild hypertension.

Acupuncture therapy for regaining consciousness activates soreness, numbness, distention, heaviness, radiating and moving, electric shock and ant climbing sensations at the specific acupoints in the stroke patients. Radiating and moving sensations are the summary of needling sensations such as soreness, numbness and twitching presenting during lifting and thrusting manipulation. These sensations are the essential factors of the therapeutic effect of regaining consciousness. Radiating sensation refers to the conduction along meridians and radiation of soreness and numbness. Moving sensation refers to the local muscular twitching at acupoints and the involuntary movement of limbs, joints and the distal. Acupuncture at the specific acupoints achieves radiating and moving sensations for promoting the circulation in meridians, regulating qi and mind and balancing yin and yang in stroke patients. This therapy was introduced in the paper in view of acupoint location, needle insertion and manipulation.

An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the additions of different nitrogen forms on nitrogen transformation in red soils of subtropical forest under soil moisture conditions with 40%, 70% and 110% of water holding capacity (WHC). The results showed that soil net mineralization and ammonification rates were maximum at 70% WHC and minimum at 40% WHC. Compared with the control, the addition of NO(3-)-N decreased the soil net mineralization and ammonification rates by 56.1% and 43.0% under 70% WHC condition, and decreased by 68.2% and 19.0% under 110% WHC, respectively. However, the proportion of ammonification to mineralization increased at 70% and 110% WHC, which suggested that nitrate addition inhibited the nitrification. With addition of NO(3-)-N at 110% WHC, the net nitrification rate was lowest while N20 emission was highest with the concomitant decrease of nitrate content, indicating that N2O emission was largely derived from denitrification. However, at 40% WHC and 70% WHC, the maximum N20 flux was found at the early stage of incubation. Even with addition of NH(4+)-N and NO(3-)-N, N2O flux did not change much at the latter stage of incubation, indicating that autotrophic nitrification was dominant for N20 production at the early stage of incubation. Under 40% WHC condition, soluble organic carbon increased more and it increased largely with NH(4+)-N addition, which meant NH(4+)-N addition could enhance the mineralization of soil organic matter. Under 40% and 110% WHC conditions, the addition of NH(4+)-N increased significantly the soil soluble organic nitrogen (SON) by 73.6% and 176.6% compared with the control, respectively. A significant increase of 78.7% for SON was only found at 40% WHC under addition of NO(3-)-N compared with the control. These results showed that high soil moisture condition and addition of NH(4+)-N were of benefit to SON formation.

Objective: To construct the eukaryotic expression vector PCI-dhfr-lambda1 and PCI-dhfr-SP163-lambda1 which linked the enhancer SP163 with interferon lambda1. Then express the interferon lambda1 in CHO (dhfr-) cells., Methods: Using PCR method to introduce the restriction enzyme sites and through the fusion PCR binding the enhancer with the interferon Lambda1. After sequenced, lambda1 and SP163-lambda1 was inserted into PCI-dhfr forming the expression vector PCI-dhfr-lambda1 and PCI-dhfr-SP163-lambda1 which was constructed successfully confirming by sequencing. Then the expressing vectors were transfected into CHO (dhfr-) cells using liposome transfection method and interferon lambda1 protein was assayed with indirect immunofluorescence and Western Blot. Using cytopathic effect inhibition evaluated the antiviral activity of interferon lambda1., Results: Successfully constructing the eukaryotic expression vectors of interferon lambda and the vectors could express interferon lambda1. The result of immunofluorescence showed the enhancer developed the expression of interferon lambda1. Detecting the interferon lambda1 in CHO (dhfr-) cells after transfecting 48 hour using Western Blot. The cytopathic effect inhibition showed the expressed interferon lambda1 has the antiviral activity., Conclusion: Successfully expressed the interferon lambda1 in CHO (dhfr-) cells and the protein possesses antiviral activity, which may supply a valuable basis for building the stable cell line of interferon lambda1.

Objective: To express and purify HBoV VP2 protein, and the monoclonal antibody against HBoV VP2 protein was prepared with hybridoma technique., Methods: The HBoV VP2 cloned into vector pET-30a was expressed in E. coil. After purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography, the BALB/c mouse was immunized with purified protein as antigen. The positive hybridoma cells were screened with hybridoma technique and ELISA assay. Isotype and titer of the monoclonal antibody were detected., Results: The recombinant HBoV VP2 protein was expressed and purified, and then the monoclonal antibody was obtained with hybridoma technique. The titer of the IgG monoclonal antibody was up to 1:4 x 10(5)., Conclusion: Monoclonal antibody against recombinant HBoV VP2 protein was prepared and the antibody titer was high. This work may provide a new method in rapid diagnosis and study of HBoV.

Objective: To establish an early-warning indicator system on outbreak of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome by Delphi method seeking expert advices., Methods: Firstly, the literature review and the experts meeting method were used to formulate the initiator frame work and indicators. A two-round consultation was used to filter indicators, discuss the boundary of indicators and determine the weighting coefficient among 25 experts from 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The relative weightiless of indicators was determined by the weight coefficients method., Results: The experts' average length of service in prevention and control of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome was (23.80 ± 11.70) years. The positivity coefficients of the two-round experts were 100% and 72%. Kendall's coefficients of the two-round consultation were 0.50 (χ(2)(R) = 148.95, P < 0.01) and 0.54 (χ(2)(R) = 212.63, P < 0.01) and opinions among experts became consistent and the consultation had achieved the need of forecast. Four first-class indicators (host animals, risk population, social environment and case-related indicators) and 14 second-class indicators were filtered to develop the indicators system. The weight coefficients of the first-class indicators were 0.28, 0.23, 0.23 and 0.26., Conclusion: The early-warning index system of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome has been established and it could provide a reference for the forest and warning of HFRS outbreak.

Objective: To refine the extent of a 7q36 duplication in a Chinese family with triphalangeal thumb-polysyndactyly syndrome and syndactyly type IV using the Affymetrix SNP Array combined with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)., Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted and genotyped with the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0. Copy number analysis was performed on the raw data using the Affymetrix Genotyping Console 3.0. The qPCR assay was carried out using the DeltaDeltaCT method to validate the duplication., Results: With use of the combined approach, we were able to narrow down the breakpoint intervals from 113 kb and 33 kb to 5.4 kb and 1.8 kb, respectively. These allowed us to refine the extent of the 7q36 duplication from 291-437 kb to 379-387 kb., Conclusion: Screening with the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 followed by the validation using qPCR is a reliable approach for high-resolution detection of copy number mutations.

After the epidemic of SARS in 2003, China has paid more attention to alert of infectious diseases and has established the credible disease information systems and enhanced the control systems, but the ability of making alert decisions of infectious disease outbreaks by using disease early detection methods needs to be improved. In this paper, the indexes related to alert of infectious diseases, and data analysis, and the timeliness of alert and the evaluation of the alert were reviewed.

Objective: To detect the characteristic chromosomal changes in Chinese children with infantile autism., Methods: Chromosome aberrations in 68 cases of infantile autism were analyzed by high-resolution G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones., Results: Chromosomal changes were detected in 4 cases by high-resolution G-banding: one case with t(4;6)(q23-24;p21), one case with longer p arm of chromosome 21 (21p+), and two cases with pericentric inversion of chromosome 9 (inv(9)) which was confirmed by C-banding. BAC FISH analysis was performed to confirm these observations and changes in chromosomes 2, 7 and 15, which are often found in autistic children. There could exist the translocation of t(4;6) (q25-26;p21.1). Chromosome changes often reported previously in chromosomes 2, 7 and 15 were not detected in this study. Inv(9) and 21p+ were not confirmed with present BAC clones., Conclusion: Chromosomal changes were detected in four cases of infantile autism, with a detectability of 5.9% , far lower than that (10% to 48%) reported in literature. The breakpoint of translocation could be detected more accurately using BAC FISH method.