Search

【Background and objective】 Drought and soil salinization are two common abiotic stresses facing agricultural production worldwide. Plants develop various strategies to grow under these stresses, and the purpose of this paper is to investigate how winter wheat at seedling stage adjusts the hydraulic conductance of its roots as a response to change in water and salt stresses. 【Method】 The experiment was conducted in hydroponic culture, using the ultra-high variety Yannong 1212 as the model plant. Water stress was created by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and NaCL was used as a proxy for soil salinization. There were three treatments: 2% of PEG6000, 0.1% of NaCl, and 2% of PEG6000+0.1% NaCl. Wheat grown in Hoagland nutrient solution without abiotic stresses was taken as the control. For each treatment, we measured the root hydraulic conductivity and analyzed its relationship with environmental factors using stepwise regression method. 【Result】 ① Water stress and salt stress, working alone or in combination, reduced plant height and leaf area significantly, though the level of the significance varied with treatment. ② Compared with the control, water stress and salt stress working alone increased root-shoot ratio by 12% and 14% respectively, while their combination reduced this ratio by 6%; ③ Salt stress and water stress, working separately or in combination, increased Na+/K+ ratio in both leaves and roots, despite that the effect of water stress was not significant. ④ Water stress and salt stress and their combination significantly reduced total nitrogen content in the leaves, and reduced the root hydraulic conductivity by 58%, 51% and 93%, respectively, compared with the control. 【Conclusion】 Water and salt stresses reduced root hydraulic conductivity of the wheat at seedling stage, and the leaf area was positively correlated with the root hydraulic conductivity.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by cognitive impairment and depression, is currently one of the intractable problems due to the insufficiency of intervention strategies. Diethyl butylmalonate (DBM) has recently attracted extensive interest due to its anti-inflammatory role in macrophages. However, it is still unknown whether DBM has a beneficial effect on cognitive deficits and depression. Methods: DBM was administrated to 5×FAD and C57BL/6J mice by intraperitoneal injection. Novel object recognition, Y-maze spatial memory, Morris water maze and nest building tests were used to evaluate cognitive function. Moreover, the tail suspension test, forced swimming test, open field test and the elevated plus maze test were used to assess depression. Transmission electron microscopy, Golgi-Cox staining, immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR and western blot were utilized to determine the neuropathological changes in the hippocampus and amygdala of mice. Results: Multiple behavioral tests showed that DBM effectively mitigated cognitive deficit and depression in 5×FAD mice. Moreover, DBM significantly attenuated synaptic ultrastructure and neurite impairment in the hippocampus of 5×FAD mice, paralleled by the improvement of the deficits of PSD95 and BDNF proteins. In addition, DBM decreased the accumulation of microglia and downregulated neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and amygdala of 5×FAD mice. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that DBM ameliorates cognitive deficits and depression via improvement of the impairment of synaptic ultrastructure and neuroinflammation, suggesting that DBM is a potential drug candidate for treating AD-related neurodegeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the feasibility and short-term prognosis of prostatectomy without biopsy. Materials and Methods: Patients with a rising PSA level ranging from 4 to 30 ng/mL were scheduled for multiparametric (mp) MRI and 18F-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET). Forty-seven patients (cT2N0M0) with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System ≥ 4 and molecular imaging PSMA score ≥ 2 were enrolled. All candidates underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy without biopsy. Prostate cancer detection rate, index tumors localization correspondence rate, positive surgical margin, complications, postoperative hospital stay, and PSA level in a 6-week postoperative follow-up visit were collected. Results: All the patients with positive mpMRI and PSMA PET were diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer. A total of 80 lesions were verified as cancer by pathology, of which 63 cancer lesions were clinically significant prostate cancer. Fifty-one lesions were simultaneously found by mpMRI and PSMA PET. A total of 23 lesions were invisible on either image, and all lesions were ≤ International Society of Urological Pathology 2 or ≤ 15 mm. Forty-five (95.7%) index tumors found by mpMRI combined with PSMA PET were consistent with pathology. Nine patients reported positive surgical margin. Conclusions: Biopsy-free prostatectomy is safe and feasible for patients with evaluation strictly by mpMRI combined with 18F-PSMA PET/CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of the well irrigation in Guanzhong Plain during the Qing dynasty. The paper analyses the scales and results of well irrigation campaigns sponsored by the government in the mid-eighteen century and the late nineteenth century. Limited by the natural environment and technical conditions, the efficiency of well irrigation is poor. Farmers’ choices also affect the development of well irrigation. Moreover, a lack of management led to the unsustainable use of groundwater. Historical groundwater policies were mainly aimed at increasing agricultural production. Policies should be made according to local conditions. It is important to ensure the sustainable development of groundwater.