Causal associations of cytokines and growth factors with cholelithiasis: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that patients with cholelithiasis may have changes in levels of cytokines and growth factors, while their causal relationships were still unclear. METHODS: This study was a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Datasets of 41 circulation cytokines and growth factors and the data on cholelithiasis were obtained. Six steps of strict instrumental variable filtration were set, and inverse-variance weighted analysis, MR-Egger regression, and weighted median test were used to identify the causal relationships. Benjamini-Hochberg method was used to adjust the P-values. RESULTS: After adjustments of P-values, four cytokines and growth factors were still causally associated with cholelithiasis significantly: interleukin 2 receptor alpha (adjusted P: 4.59E-02), interleukin 8 (adjusted P: 1.09E-02), monocyte-specific chemokine 3 (adjusted P: 2.73E-04), and stem cell factor (adjusted P: 2.73E-04). In the reverse MR analysis, no significant causal relationship was detected after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Four cytokines and growth factors, including interleukin 2 receptor alpha, interleukin 8, monocyte-specific chemokine 3, and stem cell factor, were proven to relate to cholelithiasis causally and unidirectionally.

A high-throughput phenotyping assay for precisely determining stalk crushing strength in large-scale sugarcane germplasm.

Sugarcane is a major industrial crop around the world. Lodging due to weak mechanical strength is one of the main problems leading to huge yield losses in sugarcane. However, due to the lack of high efficiency phenotyping methods for stalk mechanical strength characterization, genetic approaches for lodging-resistant improvement are severely restricted. This study attempted to apply near-infrared spectroscopy high-throughput assays for the first time to estimate the crushing strength of sugarcane stalks. A total of 335 sugarcane samples with huge variation in stalk crushing strength were collected for online NIRS modeling. A comprehensive analysis demonstrated that the calibration and validation sets were comparable. By applying a modified partial least squares method, we obtained high-performance equations that had large coefficients of determination (R2 > 0.80) and high ratio performance deviations (RPD > 2.4). Particularly, when the calibration and external validation sets combined for an integrative modeling, we obtained the final equation with a coefficient of determination (R2) and ratio performance deviation (RPD) above 0.9 and 3.0, respectively, demonstrating excellent prediction capacity. Additionally, the obtained model was applied for characterization of stalk crushing strength in large-scale sugarcane germplasm. In a three-year study, the genetic characteristics of stalk crushing strength were found to remain stable, and the optimal sugarcane genotypes were screened out consistently. In conclusion, this study offers a feasible option for a high-throughput analysis of sugarcane mechanical strength, which can be used for the breeding of lodging resistant sugarcane and beyond.

Acute Pancreatitis and Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis in Children: A 10-Year Retrospective Study.

Aim: To compare the clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis (AP) and recurrent acute pancreatitis (ARP) in children. Method: From January 2011 to January 2021, a total of 275 pediatric patients with AP admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital were enrolled. Results: The median age of 275 children was 12.0 years. Among them, 55 cases were ARP. The leading causes of pediatric pancreatitis were biliary tract and virus infection. The percent of male in the AP group was higher than that in the ARP group. Viral infection in the AP group were higher than that in the ARP group, but anatomical abnormalities were lower than those in the ARP group. The incidence of pancreatic pseudocysts in the ARP group was higher than that in the AP group. The median interval time from AP to ARP was 3.0 months. Conclusion: The main causes of pediatric pancreatitis were biliary tract and virus infection in the study. AP caused by virus infection seems to be less likely to develop into ARP. Female and anatomical abnormality are risks of ARP. Children with ARP are more likely to be complicated with pancreatic pseudocyst. There was no difference in ICU admission or mortality between AP and ARP.

Impact of early thoracic epidural analgesia in patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the impact of thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: This is a single-centre retrospective study. In this study, the outcomes of SAP patients were compared between patients received TEA (TEA group) and without TEA (NTEA group). Early TEA was defined as TEA performed within 48 hours after onset. The main outcome was the mortality at 30 days after ICU admission, and secondary outcomes included the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the acute renal injury (AKI) and sepsis, the hospital stay and hospitalization expenses. RESULTS: The mortality of SAP patients in TEA versus NTEA was 8.0% and 13.3% (p = .1520). Multivariate regression analysis showed significant difference in mortality between the TEA and NTEA groups (OR, 0.387; 95% CI, 0.168-0.892; p = .026). The incidence of ARDS in TEA versus NTEA was 46.0% and 62.4% (p = .0044); the proportion of patients requiring invasive ventilator assisted ventilation in TEA, and NTEA was 22.6% and 39.2% (p = .0016). The incidence of AKI in TEA versus NTEA was 27.7% and 45.3% (p = .0044); the proportion of patients needing for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in TEA and NTEA was 48.2% and 74.0% (p < .0001). The mortality of SAP patients in early TEA versus NTEA was 4.8% and 15.3% (p = .0263). CONCLUSIONS: TEA was associated with low incidence of ARDS and AKI in patients with SAP. Early TEA may benefit mortality in SAP patients and is a possible protective factor for the mortality of SAP patients.

The Clinical Characteristics and Outcome of Elderly Patients With Acute Pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the risk factors for the progression of acute pancreatitis (AP) to severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and death in elderly patients. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, duration of hospitalization, complications, interventions, and mortality rates were collected. RESULTS: Between January 2010 and January 2021, 2084 elderly patients with AP were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 70.0 years (standard deviation, 7.1 years). Among them, 324 (15.5%) had SAP and 105 died (5.0%). The 90-day mortality rate in the SAP group was significantly higher than that in the AP group (P < 0.0001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that trauma, hypertension, and smoking were risk factors for SAP. After multivariate adjustment, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, sepsis, organ perforation, and abdominal hemorrhage were associated with higher 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic pancreatitis, hypertension, and smoking are independent risk factors for SAP in elderly patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, sepsis, organ perforation, and abdominal hemorrhage are independent risk factors for death in elderly patients with AP.

Long Noncoding RNA MIR600HG Binds to MicroRNA-125a-5p to Prevent Pancreatic Cancer Progression Via Mitochondrial Tumor Suppressor 1-Dependent Suppression of Extracellular Regulated Protein Kinases Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Significance of long noncoding RNAs in pancreatic cancer (PC) progression has been documented. Here, we identified a novel long noncoding RNA MIR600HG in PC and its underlying mechanism during PC progression. METHODS: Through bioinformatics analysis, we selected MIR600HG, microRNA-125a-5p (miR-125a-5p), and mitochondrial tumor suppressor 1 (MTUS1) as objects with their expression patterns assayed in the collected PC tissues and PC cells. Pancreatic cancer cells were manipulated with ectopic expression and deficiency of MIR600HG, miR-125a-5p, and/or MTUS1 for assaying cell biological processes in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. RESULTS: MIR600HG and MTUS1 levels were downregulated and miR-125a-5p was upregulated in PC tissues and cells. MIR600HG could bind to miR-125a-5p, while miR-125a-5p negatively targeted MTUS1. MIR600HG resulted in suppression in malignant properties of PCs. All these changes could be reversed by miR-125a-5p elevation. In addition, miR-125a-5p targeted MTUS1 to activate the extracellular regulated protein kinases signaling pathway. In vivo experiment also verified the inhibitory role of MIR600HG in PC. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, MIR600HG acts as an inhibitor for PC progression by upregulating miR-125a-5p-mediated MTUS1 through extracellular regulated protein kinases pathway.

Pathogen distribution and bacterial resistance in children with severe pneumonia: A single-center retrospective study.

ABSTRACT: To examine the etiological distribution of pathogens in pediatric patients with severe pneumonia and analyze the drug resistance of major pathogen species.Nasopharyngeal secretion specimens were collected for bacterial culture from pediatric patients admitted to the Xiamen children's hospital who were diagnosed with severe pneumonia from January 2016 to December 2019. Pathogen species were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, direct immunofluorescence, and bacterial culture and we examined the drug susceptibility of the bacterial pathogens.At least 1 species of the pathogen was detected in 576 of 734 patients and a total of 444 bacterial samples were isolated, of which 284 were gram-negative and 160 were gram-positive. The most frequently detected bacteria were Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. In addition, we isolated 186 viral samples, of which the majority were respiratory syncytial virus (n = 90) and adenovirus (n = 70) as well as 142 Mycoplasma pneumonia samples.Gram-negative bacteria are dominant among the pathogens causing severe pneumonia in pediatric patients and the major pathogen species are resistant to a variety of antibiotics. Appropriate antibiotic use has an important role in preventing the emergence of resistant strains.

[Influencing Factors of Cadmium Bioaccumulation Factor in Crops].

The Cd bioaccumulation factor (BCF) of crops is affected by many aspects. In order to clarify the differences in the Cd bioaccumulation factor characteristics of different crops under field conditions and the influence of soil properties, point-to-point samples of soil and crop grains were collected during crop harvesting on plots with varying pollution levels in the primary production areas of rice, wheat, and maize in China. The characteristics of the Cd bioaccumulation factors of rice, wheat, summer maize, and spring maize and the effects of soil properties on the Cd bioaccumulation factors of different crops were studied, and the quantitative relationship between the Cd bioaccumulation factors and soil properties was established through multiple regression equations. The results revealed that the average BCF values of Cd in rice, wheat, summer maize, and spring maize were 0.915, 0.155, 0.113, and 0.102, respectively, with the Cd content in the field soil of 0.15-2.66 mg·kg-1. Rice is significantly higher than wheat and maize, and spring maize has the lowest Cd bioaccumulation factor. The Cd content in the soil is extremely negatively correlated with the BCF of wheat, summer maize, and spring maize. The relationship between soil organic matter (SOM) and the BCF of wheat and summer maize demonstrated a significant negative correlation. The soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) also affect the BCF of crops. Introducing the soil Cd content, pH, SOM, CEC, and other factors, the Cd bioaccumulation factor prediction equations of rice, wheat, summer maize, and spring maize were established. The correlation coefficients of the BCF prediction equations for rice, wheat, summer maize, and spring maize are 0.423*, 0.796**, 0.826**, and 0.551**, respectively. The above models reached significant or extremely significant levels, which can better predict the BCF value of different crops under varying soil conditions.

Cadmium accumulation in wheat and maize grains from China: Interaction of soil properties, novel enrichment models and soil thresholds.

The cadmium (Cd) activity in soil has been widely studied. However, the interactive effects of soil properties (e.g. soil pH, CEC, and SOM) on Cd transfer from soil to grain are generally overlooked. In total 325 datasets including soil pH, CEC, SOM, and soil Cd content were used in this study. The descriptive statistics indicated that Cd content in wheat and maize soils ranged from 0.05 to 10.31 mg/kg and 0.02-13.68 mg/kg, with mean values of 0.87 and 1.14 mg/kg, respectively. Cd contents in wheat and maize grains were 0.01-1.36 mg/kg and 0.001-1.08 mg/kg with average values of 0.15 and 0.10 mg/kg, respectively. The results of SEM demonstrated that the interactive effects of soil properties contributed more to Cd transfer from soil to wheat grain than the soil Cd content. Subsequently, CITs-MLR indicated that the critical factors, including soil pH and total soil Cd content, could mask the contribution of other soil properties on Cd accumulation in grain; soil CEC may prevent Cd from leaching and therefore improve grain Cd level of wheat especially at acidic soil condition. The result of derived Cd thresholds revealed that current Cd thresholds are not completely suitable to wheat and maize grain at different soil conditions. This study provides a new model for further investigation on relationships between soil properties, soil Cd content and grain Cd level.

Home quarantine compliance is low in children with fever during COVID-19 epidemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak began in China at the end of 2019. The disease is highly infectious. In order to prevent and control the epidemic situation, the state has issued a series of measures to guide the prevention and control of the epidemic. At the same time, it also introduced the measure of home isolation for children with fever. However, due to the nature of children, the implementation of the home isolation turned out to be quite difficult, and questions regarding the home isolation were brought out by parents when seeing doctors. For this reason, we decided to conduct this study. AIM: To study factors that influence home quarantine compliance in children with fever during the COVID-19 epidemic. METHODS: A total of 495 paediatric patients with respiratory tract infection and fever were selected from the general fever clinic at Xiamen Children's Hospital from February 6-27, 2020. On day 8 after the hospital visit, follow-up was conducted by telephone to evaluate the compliance of home quarantine. RESULTS: Among the ten quarantine measures, the proportion of families adhering to keeping 1.5 m distance, proper hand hygiene, wearing masks at home, and proper cough etiquette was very low (< 30% for each measure). Our analysis showed that compliance was related to gender and age of children, gender and age of primary caregiver, number of children in the family, and intensity of information on quarantine measures. We observed that compliance increased with the age of children. Compared with children whose caregivers were young adults, children with elderly caregivers were 2.461 times more likely to show poor compliance. Furthermore, children who received intensive information on quarantine measures had significantly better compliance. CONCLUSION: Compliance of children with fever to quarantine measures at home is low during the COVID-19 epidemic. Strengthening education on the quarantine measures is critical to improve compliance, in particular in young children with elderly caregivers.

The characteristics and outcomes of 681 severe cases with COVID-19 in China.

PURPOSE: To clarify the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic features of patients with severe COVID-19. METHODS: In this study, we enrolled 681 patients with confirmed cases of severe COVID-19. The epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected. RESULTS: The median age of the study participants was 65 years, 53.2% were male, and 104 (15.3%) died. Age, Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), acute myocardial injury, and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and CD3 T cells counts were independently associated with death, while arbidol and ribavirin were protective from death. The combination of NLR and acute myocardial injury on admission (AUC = 0.914) predicted mortality better than NLR, CRP, LDH, and acute myocardial injury. There were 312 (45.8%) patients with cardiovascular disease, of whom 23.4% died. ß-blockers, ACEI/ARB, arbidol, and ribavirin might have a beneficial effect for severe COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSION: The combination of NLR and acute myocardial injury on admission was highly predictive of mortality and survival. Clinicians should adopt more aggressive strategies for patients with a high NLR (>6.66) combined with myocardial injury. ß-blockers and ACEI/ARB, as well as arbidol and ribavirin, were effective in COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease.

[Characteristics of Heavy Metal Absorption by Winter Wheat and Its Quantitative Relationship with Influencing Factors].

Winter wheat is one of the main food crops in China, and ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural products is an important component in agricultural production. The absorption of heavy metals by winter wheat is affected by many factors. To clarify the characteristics of heavy metal absorption by winter wheat under field conditions, and the quantitative relationship between the content of heavy metals in wheat grains and the physical and chemical properties of soil and its content of heavy metals, point-to-point sampling was carried out from 50 fields with different levels of heavy metal pollution in the main wheat-producing areas of North China. The pH, organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and contents of heavy metals in soil, wheat grain, and straw were analyzed. In addition, the characteristics of heavy metals absorbed by wheat and the effects of the physical and chemical properties of soil on the absorption of heavy metals by wheat were studied, and the quantitative relationship between heavy metals and physical and chemical properties of soil and heavy metals in wheat grain was studied by multivariate regression analysis. The results showed that the Cd content in soil in the wheat field ranged from 0.150 to 2.66 mg·kg-1, and the Cd content of the corresponding wheat grain ranged from 0.033 to 0.39 mg·kg-1. The range of Pb content in soil was 4.68-371 mg·kg-1, and the corresponding wheat Pb content range was 0.27-2.4 mg·kg-1. The soil As content range was 3.00-21.3 mg·kg-1, and the corresponding wheat grain As content range was 0.044-0.18 mg·kg-1. The over-standard rates of wheat Cd, Pb, and As were 55%, 100%, and 0, respectively, and those of soil Cd, Pb, and As were 52%, 13%, and 0, respectively. Soil Cd content was positively correlated with wheat grain Cd content (P<0.01), with correlation coefficient r=0.663 (n=50). There was a significant positive correlation between soil Pb content and wheat Pb content (P<0.05), with correlation coefficient r=0.348 (n=50). There was no significant correlation between soil As content and wheat As content. The mean enrichment coefficients of wheat grains on Cd, Pb, and As were 0.17, 0.027, and 0.0089, respectively, and the mean transfer coefficients were 0.52, 0.27, and 0.22, respectively. The enrichment and transfer coefficients of heavy metals in wheat were Cd > Pb > As. The content of heavy metals in wheat straw was 2-5 times higher than that in corresponding grains. Soil pH, OM, and CEC also affect Cd content in wheat grains. Soil Cd content, soil pH, OM, CEC, and wheat grain Cd content were analyzed by multiple regression analysis, and four prediction equations of wheat grain Cd content were obtained. The correlation coefficient r reached a very significant level (P<0.01), and the correlation coefficient of the prediction equation including all variables was highest at r=0.810 (n=50), showing that it could predict the Cd content in wheat grains well.

Effect of roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGBS) can benefit patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, their conclusions are still inconsistent. Thus, this study will aim to assess the effect of RYGBS for patients with T2DM. METHODS: In this study, the electronic databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, AMED, and CNKI from inceptions to the present without any limitations to language and publication status. All randomized controlled trials on assessing the effect of RYGBS for patients with T2DM will be included in this study. Two independent authors will carry out study search and selection according to the previous designed inclusion and exclusion criteria. At the same time, 2 authors will independently evaluate the risk of bias assessment by Cochrane risk of bias tool. Any disagreements between 2 authors will be solved by a third author through discussion. RevMan 5.3 software will be utilized for statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will summarize the most recent studies and will provide a deeper understanding about using the effect of RYGBS for patients with T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study will present the existing evidence for the effect of RYGBS for patients with T2DM. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: INPLASY202040127.

Efficacy of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A numerous studies have reported that obese patients (OP) are easily to have type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although a variety of managements are available to treat such disorder, their efficacy is still limited. Previous studies have reported that laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSGT) can benefit OP with T2DM. However, no study specifically and systematically explores this topic. Thus, this study will assess the efficacy and complications of LSGT for the management of OP with T2DM. METHODS: The search strategy will be performed in the electronic databases from inception to the March 31, 2020 without limitations of language and publication time: PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, AMED, WANGFANG, VIP, and CNKI. Two authors will independently identify the articles, collect the data, and assess the risk of bias using Cochrane risk of bias tool. We will invite a third author to solve any differences between two authors. We will use RevMan 5.3 software to investigate the statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will supply a high-quality synthesis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the analysis of LSGT for the management of OP with T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: This study will help to build proposals that aim at providing high quality RCTs in the management of LSGT in OP with T2DM. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: INPLASY202040128.

Clinical Analysis of 122 Cases with Mycoplasma Pneumonia Complicated with Atelectasis: A Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to explore the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of mycoplasma pneumonia complicated with atelectasis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 122 children with mycoplasma pneumonia complicated with atelectasis. These children were hospitalized in the Xiamen Campus of the Pediatric Hospital of Fudan University and the Children's Hospital of Xiamen between December 2015 and December 2018. A diagnosis was made for each case on the basis of the clinical symptoms and signs, Mycoplasma pneumoniae-specific IgM antibody, and imaging results. RESULTS: Among the 122 cases with mycoplasma pneumonia complicated with atelectasis, all cases had retractable M. pneumoniae infection, 102 cases underwent fibrobronchoscopic lavage treatment, and all cases were treated with macrolide antibiotics after a definite diagnosis was made. Furthermore, 107 cases improved and were discharged. Follow-up was performed for 3-4 weeks for all patients, and all patients, including the five cases with retractable disease, recovered well. CONCLUSION: The major clinical manifestations for M. pneumoniae pneumonia are fever and stimulatory dry cough. Macrolide antibiotics remain the treatment of choice.

[Quantitative Relationship Between Paddy Soil Properties and Cadmium Content in Rice Grains].

Rice is a crop with the potential for high accumulation of Cd, which can be affected by many factors. Sixty pairs of soil and rice samples from different plots were collected and analyzed, in order to understand the quantitative relationships between the Cd content in soil and the properties of soil and the Cd content in rice grains under field conditions, by simple and multiple regression analyses. The results showed that the Cd contents in soil and rice grains ranged from 0.15-2.54 mg·kg-1 and 0.02-2.00 mg·kg-1, respectively. According to the result of simple regression analysis, there were significantly positive correlations (P<0.01) between the Cd contents in soil and rice grains (r=0.392); the pH, SOM, and CEC in soil also had certain effects on Cd accumulation in rice grains, which were not significant, however. When the soil pH was<6.5, the Cd content in rice grains increased with increasing soil pH, but decreased with increasing soil pH when the soil pH was>6.5. The Cd content, pH, SOM, and CEC in the soil and the Cd content in rice grains were analyzed by multiple regression analysis, and five equations, which all reached extremely significant levels (P<0.01), were obtained. The equation that included the four variables (Cd content, pH, SOM, and CEC in soil) had the most r, and it could predict the Cd content in rice grains better, given the conditions of the present study.

[Effects of Continuous Application of Sewage Sludge Compost on Heavy Metals Accumulation and Mobility Characteristics in Soil Profile and on Heavy Metals Uptake of Wheat].

The use of sewage sludge compost(SSC)as fertilizer may cause increased leaching due to its high content of heavy metals and thus pose a threat to groundwater quality. The effect of SSC application on heavy metals leaching in calcareous soils has been studied in field trials, which provides basis for determining heavy metals environmental capacity and preventing metal pollution in farmland soil scientifically. The results indicated that the contents of Cu, Zn elevated obviously with the increase of the age and the dosage of SSC utilization in the topsoil(0-15 cm) under 4-year continuous application of SSC. Under higher levels of the compost treatment, the heavy metals Cu and Zn were found to migrate into the 15-30 cm soil and 60-90 cm soil under the experimental condition. Nevertheless, the majority of Cu and Zn from SSC accumulated in topsoil and the highest accumulation rates could reach 75.3% for Cu and 85.9% for Zn. The contents of Cd, Pb increased significantly in topsoil after 4-year continuous application of SSC, and their increases could reach 57.2%-165.2% for Cd and 13%-34% for Pb compared with CK. At 60-90 cm soil, the contents of Cr, As and Pb were also significantly higher than those in CK treatment. Application of SSC not only caused accumulation of some heavy metals in topsoil but also leached heavy metals located in the subsurface soil down in this experiment. Continuous utilization of SSC increased Zn concentration of wheat grain, and the increase could reach 13.3%-47.9%. For the concentrations of Cr and Pb in wheat grain, the values exceeded the national food and healthy standards value (GB 2762-2012) in part of compost treatments. The cumulative ratio of heavy metals carried out by wheat were all below 10% after 4-year experiment, wheat grain carried much more Cu, Zn out than wheat straw, but it was opposite for Cr, As, Cd, Pb. The cumulative ratio of heavy metals carried by wheat decreased with the increasing level of SSC utilization. The amounts of heavy metals migrated to deeper soil should be considered when determining the environmental capacity of heavy metals in farmland soil.

[Distribution of Phosphorus in Soil Profiles after Continuous Application of Different Fertilizers].

This study clarifies the distribution and migration characteristics of phosphorus in the soil profile and discusses the phosphorus load of farmland after continuous application of different organic fertilizers. The distribution and migration characteristics of phosphorus in soil profiles were studied through a field experiment lasting four consecutive years. The results showed that total phosphorus and Olsen-P are mainly accumulated in the soil surface, and their contents decrease with the deepening of soil depth after the continuous application of different fertilizers. With a four-year application of higher levels of organic fertilizer, the total phosphorus was found to migrate into the 15-30 cm soil layer. Olsen-P was found to migrate into the 60-90 cm soil layer under higher levels of pig manure. The ratio of available phosphorus to total phosphorus in the soil surface increased, and there were significant differences after the application of different amounts of organic fertilizers. The amount of Olsen-P as a proportion of total phosphorus in the soil profile decreased as pig manure treatment > chicken manure treatment > sludge treatment > phosphate fertilizer treatment. After the application of chicken manure, pig manure, sludge, and phosphate fertilizer, the value of Olsen-P in the soil surface increased with an increase in phosphorus input and then remained stable. When applying the same phosphorus onto the soil, the contribution of different organic fertilizers to Olsen-P in the surface soil was quite different. The bioavailability and mobility of phosphorus from pig manure was significantly higher than that of chicken manure, sludge, and phosphate fertilizer.

[Accumulation and Migration Characteristics in Soil Profiles and Bioavailability of Heavy Metals from Livestock Manure].

The long term and high dosage application of livestock manure may result in heavy metal accumulation and migration in the soil, which may endanger food security and affect the top soil heavy metal environmental capacity. Thus, one of the most important tasks for prevention of soil heavy metal pollution is scientific determination of the safe use load of heavy metals in livestock manure. A 4-year field plot experiment was carried out to quantitatively study the accumulation and migration characteristics of heavy metals from pig and chicken manure in soil profiles and the differences of bioavailability. The results showed that the contents of Cu and Cd increased significantly by 43.8%-118.6% and 28.2%-44.9% in topsoil(0-15 cm) after 4-consecutive year application of pig manure, and the contents of Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, Pb also increased by 29.7%-48.5%, 239%-456%, 19.9%-80.8%, 40.4%-163%,11.8%-22.0% and 80.3%~95.0% obviously after application of chicken manure. The accumulation rates of Cu and Zn in topsoil were 76.4%-119% and 14.2%-20.4% with pig manure, 72.1%-88.7% and 63.9%-78.9% with chicken manure. Under a high dosage of pig and chicken manure, Cu and Zn migrated to a deeper soil evidently. Applying 60 t·hm-2 of pig manure after 4-consecutive year, Cu could migrate to 15-30 cm soil layer, Zn migrated to 30-60 cm soil layer with chicken manure. Except topsoil, the contents of Cr, Cd, As, Pb did not significantly increase in other soil layers. 4-year continuous application of chicken manure significantly decreased the contents of Cu and Cd, but increased the contents of Zn and Cr in wheat grain and the content of Zn in wheat straw. Pig manure significantly decreased the content of Zn in wheat grain, but increased As content with 60 t·hm-2, the contents of Cu and As in wheat straw also increased significantly. Besides, the cumulative rate of heavy metals in wheat was no more than 6%, wheat grain carried out more Cu, Zn than straw, but the Cd, Cr, As, Pb were opposite. The cumulative rate of heavy metals in wheat decreased with the increasing application of manure. This research has an important significance in scientific determination of the heavy metal loads of plow layer, ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural production, and providing a scientific basis for the source control of soil heavy metal pollution and the safety production of agricultural goods.

RBMY, a novel inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3ß, increases tumor stemness and predicts poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

UNLABELLED: Male predominance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs particularly among young children aged 6-9 years, indicative of a possible role of the Y chromosome-encoded oncogene in addition to an androgenic effect. The discovery of oncogenic activation of RBMY (RNA-binding motif on Y chromosome), which is absent in normal hepatocytes but present in male HCC tissues, sheds light on this issue. Herein, we report on a critical hepatocarcinogenic role of RBMY and its ontogenic origin. During liver development, the Ser/Thr phosphorylated RBMY is expressed in the cytoplasm of human and rodent fetal livers. It is then silenced in mature hepatocytes and restricted to scarce expression in the bile ductular cells. Upon hepatocarcinogenesis, a noteworthy increase of cytoplasmic and nuclear RBMY is observed in HCC tissues; however, only the former is expressed dominantly in hepatic cancer stem cells and correlates significantly to a poor prognosis and decreased survival rate in HCC patients. Cytoplasmic expression of RBMY, which is mediated by binding to nuclear exporter chromosome region maintenance 1 and further enriched upon Wnt-3a stimulation, confers upon tumor cells the traits of cancer stem cell by augmenting self-renewal, chemoresistance, cell-cycle progression, proliferation, and xenograft tumor growth. This is achieved mechanistically through increasing Ser9 phosphorylation-inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3ß by RBMY, thereby impeding the glycogen synthase kinase 3ß-dependent degradation of ß-catenin and eventually inducing the nuclear entry of ß-catenin for the transcription of downstream oncogenes. CONCLUSION: RBMY is a novel oncofetal protein that plays a key role in attenuating glycogen synthase kinase 3ß activity, leading to aberrant activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, which facilitates malignant hepatic stemness; because of its absence from normal human tissues except the testis, RBMY represents a feasible therapeutic target for the selective eradication of HCC cells in male patients.