[Response of soil microbial necromass carbon to litter and root carbon inputs in a mid-subtropical Castanopsis carlesii plantation]. / ä¸­äºšçƒ­å¸¦ç±³æ§ äººå·¥æž—åœŸå£¤å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©æ®‹ä½“ç¢³å¯¹å‡‹è½ç‰©å’Œæ ¹ç³»ç¢³è¾“å ¥çš„å“åº”.

Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is a crucial source for stable soil carbon pool, and understanding its response to carbon inputs from both aboveground (litter) and belowground (roots) in subtropical forest soils is essential for assessing soil carbon stocks in global ecosystems. In a Castanopsis carlesii plantation at the Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station in Fujian Province, we conducted an experiment with five treatments, including root removal (NR), aboveground litter removal (NL), no litter input (removals of both aboveground litter and roots, NI), double aboveground litter addition (DL), and control (CK). After seven years, we collected soil samples in the 0-10 cm soil layer to examine changes in MNC content and its contribution to soil organic carbon (SOC). Results showed that NR treatment reduced MNC, bacterial necromass carbon (BNC), and fungal necromass carbon (FNC) by 15.9%, 20.2%, and 14.5%, respectively, while other treatments did not induce significant changes. The NR, NL, NI, and DL treatments did not affect the contributions of BNC, FNC, and MNC to SOC. Correlation and path analyses revealed that litter and root carbon input treatments could alter the MNC content directly or indirectly through changing soil available substrates and microbial community structure. Our results suggested that roots exert a stronger influence on the maintenance of MNC than aboveground carbon source in the mid-subtropical plantations.

Effects of forest regeneration types on phosphorus fractions of soil aggregates in subtropical forest.

Soil aggregates are important for the storage and availability of phosphorus in the soil. However, how forest regeneration types affect phosphorus fractions of soil aggregates remains unclear. In this study, we examined the composition of aggregate particle size, phosphorus fractions, phosphorus sorption capacity index (PSOR), legacy phosphorus index (PLGC) and degree of phosphorus saturation by Mehlich 3 (DPSM3) in bulk soils and soil aggregates of Castanopsis carlesii secondary forest (slight disturbance), C. carlesii human-assisted regeneration forest (moderate disturbance), and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation (severe disturbance), aiming to explore the impact of forest regeneration types on phosphorus availability and supply potential of bulk soils and soil aggregates. The results showed that forest regeneration types significantly influenced the composition of soil aggregates. The proportion of coarse macroaggregates (>2 mm) in the soil of C. carlesii secondary forest and human-assisted regeneration forest was significantly higher than that in the C. lanceolata plantation, while the proportion of silt and clay fraction (<0.053 mm) showed an opposite trend. The composition of soil aggregates significantly affected the contents of different phosphorus fractions. The contents of soil labile phosphorus fractions (PSOL and PM3) decreased as aggregate particle size decreased. The contents of soil total phosphorus (TP), total organic phosphorus (Po), mode-rately labile phosphorus fractions (PiOH and PoOH), and occluded phosphorus (POCL), as well as PSOR and PLGC, exhibited a trend of decreasing at the beginning and then increasing as particle size decreased. The contents of TP, Po, and PiOH in coarse and silt macroaggregates was significantly higher than that in fine macroaggregates (0.25-2 mm) and microaggregates (0.053-0.25 mm). Forest regeneration types significantly influenced the contents of phosphorus fractions of bulk soils and soil aggregates. The contents of TP, Po, PSOL, and PM3 in the soil of C. carlesii secondary forests was significantly higher than that in C. carlesii human-assisted regeneration forest and C. lanceolata plantation. The contents of PSOL and PM3 in different-sized aggregates of C. carlesii secondary forests were significantly higher than that in the C. lanceolata plantation. Forest regeneration types significantly influenced the composition and supply potential of phosphorus fractions in soil aggregates. The proportions of PSOL, and PM3 to TP in different-sized soil aggregates were significantly lower in C. carlesii human-assisted regeneration forest compared with C. carlesii secondary forest. PSOR and DPSM3 in different-sized soil aggregates were significantly lower in C. lanceolata plantation than that in C. carlesii secondary forest. Overall, our results indicated that natural regeneration is more favorable for maintaining soil phosphorus availability, and that forest regeneration affects soil phosphorus availa-bility and its supply potential by altering the composition of soil aggregates.

[Optimization for the determination of phenol oxidase activity in subtropical forest soils developed on sandstone]. / äºšçƒ­å¸¦ç ‚å²©å‘è‚²æ£®æž—åœŸå£¤é šæ°§åŒ–é ¶æ´»æ€§æµ‹å®šæ–¹æ³•ä¼˜åŒ–.

Phenol oxidase plays an important role in the degradation of soil organic matter. There was no standard method to determine soil phenol oxidase activity. To fill such knowledge gap, we investigated the effects of substrate type, pH, soil storage conditions, storage time, substrate concentration, water-soil ratio, incubation time and incubation temperature on soil phenol oxidase activity in three different subtropical forest soils developed on sandstone. The pH of extraction buffers significantly affected the phenol oxidase activity. Using 2,2'-azinobis-(-3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfononic acid)-diammonium salt (ABTS) as substrate acquired higher oxidase activity and was applicable to wider pH range than using 3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-L-alanine (L-DOPA) as substrate, indicating that ABTS was more suitable as a substrate for measuring phenol oxidase activity in acidic soils of subtropical forests. The storage condition significantly affected phenol oxidase activity. The phenol oxidase activity declined with time in all the three types of soil. The decreasing rate was air-dried > 4 ℃ refrigerated > -20 ℃ frozen > -80 ℃ frozen, suggesting that the frozen storage method was better than others in maintaining soil phenol oxidase activity if the determination of phenol oxidase activity in fresh soil samples cannot be immediately done. Substrate concentration, water-soil ratio, and incubation time and temperature all affected the activity of soil phenol oxidase. The condition of soil: buffer ratio of 1:100, 2 mmol·L-1 concentration of ABTS with an incubation time of 4 h at 25-30 ℃ was optimal for measuring phenol oxidase activity in acidic soils of subtropical forests, with high repeatability and sensitivity.

Comparison of the clinical characteristics and mortalities of severe COVID-19 patients between pre- and post-menopause women and age-matched men.

The mortality rate of young female COVID-19 patients is reported to be lower than that of young males but no significant difference in mortality was found between female and male COVID-19 patients aged over 65 years, and the underlying mechanism is unknown. We retrospectively analyzed clinical characteristics and outcomes of severely ill pre- and post-menopausal COVID-19 patients and compared with age-matched males. Of the 459 patients included, 141 aged ≤55, among whom 19 died (16 males vs. 3 females, p<0.005). While for patients >55 years (n=318), 115 died (47 females vs. 68 males, p=0.149). In patients ≤55 years old, the levels of NLR, median LDH, median c-reactive protein and procalcitonin were significantly higher while the median lymphocyte count and LCR were lower in male than in female (all p<0.0001). In patients over 55, these biochemical parameters were far away from related normal/reference values in the vast majority of these patients in both genders which were in contrast to that seen in the young group. It is concluded that the mortality of severely ill pre-menopausal but not post-menopausal COVID-19 female patients is lower than age-matched male. Our findings support the notion that estrogen plays a beneficial role in combating COVID-19.

Mechanisms and Clinical Trials of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Immunotherapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common and lethal tumors worldwide, is usually not diagnosed until the disease is advanced, which results in ineffective intervention and unfavorable prognosis. Small molecule targeted drugs of HCC, such as sorafenib, provided only about 2.8 months of survival benefit, partially due to cancer stem cell resistance. There is an urgent need for the development of new treatment strategies for HCC. Tumor immunotherapies, including immune check point inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) and bispecific antibodies (BsAb), have shown significant potential. It is known that the expression level of glypican-3 (GPC3) was significantly increased in HCC compared with normal liver tissues. A bispecific antibody (GPC3-S-Fabs) was reported to recruit NK cells to target GPC3 positive cancer cells. Besides, bispecific T-cell Engagers (BiTE), including GPC3/CD3, an aptamer TLS11a/CD3 and EpCAM/CD3, were recently reported to efficiently eliminate HCC cells. It is known that immune checkpoint proteins programmed death-1 (PD-1) binding by programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) activates immune checkpoints of T cells. Anti-PD-1 antibody was reported to suppress HCC progression. Furthermore, GPC3-based HCC immunotherapy has been shown to be a curative approach to prolong the survival time of patients with HCC in clinically trials. Besides, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor may inhibit the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of HCC. Here we review the cutting-edge progresses on mechanisms and clinical trials of HCC immunotherapy, which may have significant implication in our understanding of HCC and its immunotherapy.

Cell­cell fusion as an important mechanism of tumor metastasis (Review).

Cell­cell fusion is a dynamic biological phenomenon, which plays an important role in various physiological processes, such as tissue regeneration. Similarly, normal cells, particularly bone marrow­derived cells (BMDCs), may attempt to fuse with cancer cells to rescue them. The rescue may fail, but the fused cells end up gaining the motility traits of BMDCs and become metastatic due to the resulting genomic instability. In fact, cell­cell fusion was demonstrated to occur in vivo in cancer and was revealed to promote tumor metastasis. However, its existence and role may be underestimated, and has not been widely acknowledged. In the present review, the milestones in cell fusion research were highlighted, the evidence for cell­cell fusion in vitro and in vivo in cancer was evaluated, and the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which cell­cell fusion occurs was summarized, to emphasize their important role in tumor metastasis. The summary provided in the present review may promote further study into this process and result in novel discoveries of strategies for future treatment of tumor metastasis.

[Characteristics of phosphorus fractions and their driving factors in forest soils with different parent materials in the mid-subtropics, China]. / ä¸­äºšçƒ­å¸¦ä¸åŒæ¯è´¨å‘è‚²æ£®æž—åœŸå£¤ç£·ç»„åˆ†ç‰¹å¾åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ .

With the aim to understand the influence degree and mechanism of parent material and forest type on soil phosphorus component, we analyzed soil P fractions, iron and aluminum oxides, microbial biomass, and phosphatase activity in Castanopsis carlesii and Cunninghamia lanceolata forest soils developed from two types of parent materials, sandstone and granite, in Sanming, Fujian Province. The results showed that both parent material and forest type significantly affected the contents of different P fractions. The contents of total P, labile inorganic/organic P, moderately labile inorganic/organic P, and non-labile P from sandstone-developed soils were significantly higher than those from granite-developed soils. Moreover, soil labile organic P, moderately labile inorganic/organic P and non-labile P fraction in sandstone-developed soils of C. carlesii forest were significantly higher than those of C. lanceolata forest, while the corresponding soil P fractions in granite-deve-loped soils had no significant difference between the two types of forests. The activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) in granite-developed soils was significantly higher than that in sandstone-developed soils under two types of forest, while soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and P (MBP) in sandstone-developed soils were significantly higher under C. carlesii forest than under C. lanceolata fo-rest. The content of soil P fractions was significantly positively correlated with the content of different forms of iron and aluminum oxides, MBP, and MBC, but negatively correlated with soil pH and acid phosphatase activity (ACP). Our results indicated that parent material and forest types might affect soil P fractions and characteristics mainly through altering soil iron and aluminum oxides, ACP, MBP in mid-subtropical forest soils.

[Contents,Sources,and Ecological Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Surface Soils of Various Functional Zones in Yangzhou City, China].

The contents and sources of 15 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in 59 surface soil samples (0-10 cm depth) collected from six functional zones, including cultural and educational area, park, residential area, vegetable garden, gas station, and industrial area, in Yangzhou City. The toxicity equivalent content of benzo[a]pyrene (TEQBaP) was adopted to assess PAH risks in soils. The results showed that the contents of Σ15PAHs in soil samples ranged from 21 to 36118 µg·kg-1, with a median value of 295 µg·kg-1. The composition of PAHs was dominated by 4-6 ring PAHs. The average contents of Σ15PAHs in various functional zones in Yangzhou City was in the order of industrial area > gas station > cultural and educational area > vegetable garden > residential area > park. Correlation analysis showed that the contents of Σ15PAHs were significantly positively correlated with the contents of both TOC (P<0.05) and BC (P<0.01) in soil samples from whole Yangzhou City. However, the contents of Σ15PAHs had no significant correlations with the contents of both TOC and BC in soil samples within each functional zone except gas station, in which the contents of Σ15PAHs had a significant correlation with those of BC (P<0.01). The results of PAH ratios showed that the sources of PAHs in soils of various functional zones were mainly from oil leakage and the combustion of oil, coal, and biomass, although there were some differences among them. The values of ΣTEQBaP of 15 PAHs ranged from 2 to 4448 µg·kg-1 in the soil samples of Yangzhou City. According to the standard value of 33 µg·kg-1 of ΣTEQBaP for 10 PAHs in the soil environmental standard of Netherland, 45.8% of soil samples exceeded the standard in Yangzhou City. The percentages of soil samples exceeding the standard of various functional zones in Yangzhou City were in the order of industrial area (70%) > gas station (60%) > cultural and educational area (55.6%) > vegetable garden (50.0%) > residential area (30%) > park (10%). Hence, in all the functional zones of Yangzhou City, there were some soil samples with potential ecological risks, which was relatively higher in industrial area and gas station, and relatively lower in residential area and park.

[Health Benefit Evaluation for PM10 and PM2.5 Pollution Control in Zhengzhou, China, 2014-2016].

Based on the annual average concentration values, the health effects and health benefits as well as 95% confidence intervals of PM10 and PM2.5 pollution control from 2014 to 2016 in Zhengzhou were evaluated by applying the Poisson regression relative risk model. Results showed that the health benefits of PM10 pollution control were 18.18 billion RMB (15.04, 21.12), 24.25 billion RMB (20.25, 27.94), and 20.62 billion RMB (17.33, 23.92), which accounted for 2.7%, 3.3%, and 2.5% of the GDP of Zhengzhou, respectively, in 2014-2016. The health benefits of PM2.5 pollution control were 17.88 billion RMB (14.37, 21.16), 21.65 billion RMB (17.46, 25.53), and 17.25 billion RMB (13.78, 20.55), which accounted for 2.6%, 3.0%, and 2.1% of the GDP of Zhengzhou, respectively, in 2014-2016. After the PM10 and PM2.5 pollution was controlled, the number of urban beneficiaries was higher than that of rural areas, and acute bronchitis beneficiaries were higher than the beneficiaries of other health end-points. For chronic bronchitis, adults benefited more than children, while the opposite occurred for asthma. In this study, chronic bronchitis had the highest health benefit, followed by asthma, and outpatient and inpatient setting had the lower health benefits.

[Characteristics and Source Analysis of Water-Soluble Ions in PM2.5 in Zhengzhou].

In order to explore the pollution characteristics of water-soluble ions in PM2.5 in Zhengzhou, high time resolution and continuous observation of water-soluble inorganic ions in PM2.5 was conducted from December 1, 2017, to November 30, 2018, in Zhengzhou. The results showed that during the observation period, the average concentration of total water-soluble ions in Zhengzhou was 42.7 µg·m-3. The order of mass concentration of each ion, from large to small, was as follows:NO3-(17.7 µg·m-3), SO42-(10.2 µg·m-3), NH4+(9.0 µg·m-3), Cl-(2.3 µg·m-3), K+(1.3 µg·m-3), Na+(1.3 µg·m-3), Ca2+(0.8 µg·m-3), and Mg2+(0.1 µg·m-3). The mass concentration of total water-soluble ions was the highest in winter, slightly higher in autumn than in spring, and lowest in summer. The diurnal variation in single peak distribution was observed across the whole year in spring, summer, and autumn, while there was no significant diurnal variation in winter. The mass concentration of secondary inorganic ions (SO42-, NO3-, and NH4+) accounted for 43.8% of PM2.5, mainly in the form of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3. There was a large degree of secondary transformation throughout the observation period; relative humidity had a significant influence on the sulfur oxidation rate, and temperature had a significant influence on the nitrogen oxidation rate. During the observation period, there was a good correlation between secondary ions, and K+ showed a good correlation with Mg2+ and Cl-. The main source of the secondary ions was the secondary conversion of gaseous pollutants. Mg2+ and Ca2+ were derived from soil dust and construction dust. K+ was one of the main biomarkers of biomass combustion. Na+ was mainly derived from sea salt and soil dust, and Cl- was derived not only from sea salt but also biomass and fossil fuel combustion. The results of principal component analysis showed that the water-soluble ions in PM2.5 in Zhengzhou were mainly affected by secondary transformation, combustion sources, and dust emission from soil or building construction.

[Effects of litter removal and nitrogen addition on carbon and nitrogen in different soil fractions in a subtropical broad-leaved forest.] / å‡‹è½ç‰©åŽ»é™¤å’Œæ°®æ·»åŠ å¯¹äºšçƒ­å¸¦é˜”å¶æž—åœŸå£¤ä¸åŒç»„åˆ†ç¢³ã€æ°®çš„å½±å“.

The increasing nitrogen deposition due to human activities has impacted forest ecosystems to a large extent. The organic carbon and nitrogen released from decomposing litters play an important role in the formation, stability and transformation of soil organic carbon and nitrogen. We collected soil samples from a subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest experiment with nitrogen deposition [control (0), LN (75 kg·hm-2·a-1), HN (150 kg·hm-2·a-1)] and litter control (litter retained and litter removal) for eight years. After extracted by solution of K2SO4, Na2B4O7, Na4P2O7, NaOH, H2SO4, Na2S2O4 and HF step by step, carbon and nitrogen in each extraction was analyzed. The results showed that overall most of soil carbon and nitrogen existed in the Humin fraction, accounting for 33.5% of the total carbon and 33.3% of the total nitrogen. The soluble total carbon and nitrogen extracted by Na2B4O7 solution was the highest, followed by NaOH and Na4P2O7 solution. The soluble total carbon, soluble total nitrogen and soluble organic nitrogen of soil extracted by three reagents accounted for 46.2%, 47.9%, and 76.5% of the total extractions, respectively. In addition, nitrogen addition significantly increased carbon and nitrogen content in Na2S2O4 and Humin fractions. Litter removal reduced carbon content in Na2B4O7, H2SO4, Na2S2O4 and Humin fractions, and nitrogen content in NaOH, HF and Humin fractions. The nitrogen content in the K2SO4 extraction was significantly increased by both litter remained and nitrogen addition. Our results demonstrated that litter and nitrogen added could mutually affect carbon and nitrogen concentration of soil fractions with different chemical stability, with consequences on the process of soil carbon and nitrogen.

[Emission Characteristics and List of Inorganic Elements in Fine Particles of Typical Industrial Kilns in Zhengzhou City].

Samples of particulate matter from flue gas emissions of typical brick, cement, and firebrick industrial kilns in Zhengzhou City were collected by dilution channel systems. Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Sr, Cd, Sb, Sn, Ba, and Pb were analyzed. The emission factors (EFs) and emissions of inorganic elements of PM2.5 from kilns flue gases of three industries in Zhengzhou City during 2016 were calculated. A grid list of 1 km×1 km was also established. The results show that the highest concentration of total inorganic elements was in the firebrick industry, corresponding to(609.97±490.97) µg·m-3. The concentration of inorganic elements in the three industries accounted for 34%-54%, 27%-42%, and 23%-53% of PM2.5. The inorganic elements emitted from industrial kilns in brick and cement industries were mainly crust elements, and the highest concentration elements were Cl and Al. The inorganic elements emitted by industrial furnaces in the firebrick industry were mainly heavy metals, and the highest concentration element was Pb. The coefficient of divergence (CD) of inorganic elements in brick and cement industry was 0.389, that is slightly different. The CD between cement and refractory industry was 0.732, which represents a significant difference between inorganic element emissions. In 2016, the emissions of Pb, S, Zn, Cl, K, As, Fe, Si, Cr, Al, Na, and Ca in PM2.5 from major industrial furnaces in Zhengzhou City were 919.0, 793.1, 124.7, 378.6, 82.6, 12.2, 60.4, 145.4, 7.4, 86.6, 15.8, and 111.4 kg·a-1, respectively. Heavy metal emission in the Xinmi area was the highest, representing a high health risk.

[Transport Pathways and Potential Sources of PM2.5 During the Winter in Zhengzhou].

In this study, meteorological and air mass concentration data of Zhengzhou from December 2017 to February 2018 (winter) were used to quantify the influence of meteorological factors on the PM. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model was used to analyze the 48-hour backward trajectories and the cluster method was applied to classify the airflow backward trajectory. Moreover, the potential source contribution function and concentration-weighted trajectory analysis were applied to evaluate the transport pathways and sources of PM2.5 in Zhengzhou. The results show that the heavy pollution in Zhengzhou during winter is mainly due to the low wind speed, high relative humidity, and low precipitation. The cluster analysis revealed that up to 60% of the back trajectories came from the northwest and 25.56% of the back trajectories came from the Beijing-Tianjin area. The airflow trajectories from the south and east account for 7.5% and 6.1% with higher PM2.5 concentrations. The main potential sources of PM2.5 in Zhengzhou during winter are located in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei air pollution transmission channel cities including Jiaozuo, Kaifeng, Xinxiang, Hebi, Puyang, Anyang, Handan, and Xingtai. The adjacent provinces, including Shanxi, Hubei, and Anhui, also have great influence on the PM2.5 in Zhengzhou.

[Size Distribution Characteristics of Water-Soluble Inorganic Ions During Summer and Autumn in Zhengzhou].

To study the compositional characteristics of atmospheric particulates with different particle sizes in the central city of Zhengzhou, China, a Tisch graded impact sampler was used to sample atmospheric particulates in summer and autumn. The mass concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions, including anions (Cl-, F-, NO3-, and SO42-) and cations (Na+, Ca2+, NH4+, K+, and Mg2+) were measured by ion chromatography, and the online ion chromatography-based analyzer MARGA monitored the real-time concentration of particulate nitrate. The results showed that the average concentration of water-soluble ions in Zhengzhou City was (70.9±52.1) µg·m-3 during the sampling period, and the order of water-soluble ion mass concentrations was NO3- > SO42- > NH4+ > Ca2+ > Na+ > Cl- > Mg2+ > K+ > F-; NO3-, SO42-, and NH4+ accounted for 79.9% of total water-soluble ions. The NO3- concentration was mainly concentrated in the 0.65-3.3 µm particle size segment, despite the SO42- concentration being concentrated in the ≤ 1.1 µm particle size segment in autumn or summer. Both NO3- and SO42- had a bimodal distribution in summer and autumn and were mainly distributed as fine particles. NH4+ showed seasonal variation with a bimodal distribution in summer and a unimodal distribution in autumn. Zhengzhou City had serious ozone pollution in summer, and O3 and NO3- showed the "staggered peak" phenomenon, indicating photochemical reactions in the atmosphere. In autumn, water-soluble inorganic ion concentration in particulate matter was high, and the ratio of[NO3-]/[SO42-] was higher than 0.5. The mobile source is an important source of particles. NOR and SOR peaks were on the 1.1-2.1 µm particle size segment in summer, whereas those in the 0.65-1.1 µm particle size segment occurred in autumn. The sulfur gas-to-grain conversion in summer was larger than that of nitrogen, contrary to the result in autumn.

[Effects of water-soluble organic matter and residue of litter on nitrogen transformation in subtropical forest soil.] / å‡‹è½ç‰©ä¸­æ°´æº¶æ€§æœ‰æœºç‰©å’Œæ®‹æ¸£å¯¹äºšçƒ­å¸¦æ£®æž—åœŸå£¤æ°®ç´ è½¬åŒ–çš„å½±å“.

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 NH4+-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 NH4+-N content was reduced by the addition of filtrate and residue, and the reduction degree of residue was greater. During the incubation, soil NO3--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 (N2O) emission was 1.5-63.0 times higher than that under 60%WHC. Furthermore, N2O 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.

[Clinical effects of qianggan capsule on the liver tissue pathology and PDGF-BB, TGF-beta1, TIMP-1, and MMP-1 factors in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To study the therapeutic efficacy of Qianggan Capsule (QC) in treating patients Seventy pa-with chronic hepatitis B fibrosis from the pathological aspect and serum fibrosis markers. METHODS: patients with chronic hepatitis B were randomly assigned to two groups, the treated group (45 cases) and the control group (25 cases). QC was given to patients in the treated group, while glucurone and compound vitamin B were given to those in the control group. The therapeutic course for both groups was 6 months. The therapeutic effect was assessed by determination of fibrosis markers including serum levels of platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1), matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) and serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), albumin (ALB), and prothrombin time (PT) were completed 1 month before treatment and at the end of the trial respectively. RESULTS: (1) Serum levels of ALT, TBIL, PT decreased obviously and the serum ALB level obviously increased in both groups (all P<0.05), showing no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). (2) Hepatic fibrosis markers: Serum levels of PDGF-BB, TGF-1P3, and TIMP-1 significantly decreased, and serum MMP-1 level markedly increased in the treated group more than before treatment (all P<0.05). No significant difference was shown between before and after treatment in each index of the control group (P>0.05). Serum levels of PDGF-BB, TGF-beta1, and TIMP-1 were obviously lower and the serum MMP-1 level was obviously higher in the treated group than in the control group after treatment (all P<0.05). (3) Hepatic histopathological results: The hepatic inflammatory necrosis activity and the hepatic fibrosis degree in the treated group were significantly improved (P<0.05), with the total effective rate of the hepatic necrosis activity improvement being 40.00% and that of the hepatic fibrosis degree being 57.78%. But there was no obvious improvement in the hepatic inflammatory necrosis activity or the hepatic fibrosis degree in the control group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: QC could effectively improve serological indices and pathological indices of chronic hepatitis B fibrosis patients, showing better therapeutic effect in reversing hepatic fibrosis and alleviating hepatic inflammatory necrosis.

[Relationship between the genotypes of hepatitis B virus and the severity of liver diseases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between different genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the severity of liver diseases. METHODS: The S nucleotide sequences of HBV strains isolated from plasma samples of 284 patients were detected and compared. Among them, 87 patients were HBV asymptomatic carriers (ASC), 157 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 22 liver cirrhosis (LC), and 18 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). RESULTS: Genotypes B and C were predominant, with a 26.1% proportion and a 63.2% proportion respectively. The percentage of genotypes B and C in patients with ASC, CHB, LC, and HCC were significantly different (x(2)=15.09, P<0.001). Compared with genotype B, genotype C was more common in patients with CHB and HCC (59.6% vs 43.2%, chi(2)=10.87, P<0.001; 7.7% vs 1.4%, x(2)=7.41, P<0.001), but in patients with LC there was no different (7.7% vs 8.1%, chi(2)=1.29, P>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that genotype B and C are predominant. And genotype C may induce more severe the liver inflammation than genotype B may do.