LBBAP in patients with normal intrinsic QRS duration: Electrical and mechanical characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is an innovative pacing technology, which needs further study. METHODS: Seventy LBBAP patients with intrinsic QRS duration (QRSd) less than 120 ms were consecutively enrolled in our center. According to whether the left bundle branch potential (LBBp) was recorded or not, the patients were divided into the potential positive group (LBBAP+) and the potential negative group (LBBAP-). Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters were used to evaluate electrical and mechanical characteristics. Lead parameters and complications were followed-up. RESULTS: There were 52 patients in LBBAP+ and 18 patients in LBBAP-. The QRSd and the left ventricular activation time (LVAT) were wider after LBBAP. QRSd showed no significant difference between LBBAP+ and LBBAP-. LVAT was significantly shorter in LBBAP+ than in LBBAP-. Frontal QRS axis shifted leftward and the V1 morphologies changed after LBBAP. QRS axis and V1 morphologies showed no significant differences between two groups. Paced R-wave transition moved forward compared with intrinsic R-wave transition in both groups. Peak systolic strain of left ventricle (LVPSS) increased, and peak systolic dispersion of left ventricle (LVPSD) did not change significantly after LBBAP. Systolic and diastolic function as well as mechanical synchronism had no significant differences between two groups. LBBAP had great pacing parameters. CONCLUSION: LBBAP changes electrical and mechanical characteristics and has good safety in patients with normal intrinsic QRSd. LBBAP+ and LBBAP- show no significant differences in mechanical synchronization and interventricular electrical synchronization. The LBBAP+ shows better left ventricular electrical synchronicity.

An endophytic Streptomyces sp. strain DHV3-2 from diseased root as a potential biocontrol agent against Verticillium dahliae and growth elicitor in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Plant endophytes play important roles in biocontrol of plant diseases. Actinomycetes are used for biocontrol of fungal diseases caused by Verticillium dahliae. Many studies have focused on the endophytic actinomycetes isolated from the roots of healthy plants, but few on those from the roots of diseased plants. In the present research, actinomycetes were isolated from the roots of diseased and healthy tomato plants, respectively. The results showed that, in total, 86 endophytic actinomycetes were isolated for screening of their antimicrobial activities, 8 of which showed antagonism to V. dahliae in vitro. Among the 8 antagonistic strains, 5 (out of 36) were from the roots of diseased plants, with inhibition diameter zones ranging from 11.2 to 18.2 mm, whereas 3 (out of 50) were from the roots of healthy plants, with inhibition diameter zones ranging from 11.5 to 15.5 mm. Endophytic strain DHV3-2 was isolated from the root of a diseased plant and demonstrated a potent effect against V. dahliae and other pathogenic fungi by showing the largest inhibition diameter zones among all the eight antagonistic strains. Thus, strain DHV3-2 was chosen to investigate its biological control efficacies in vivo. Further study showed that the disease incidence and disease severity indices of tomato Verticillium wilt decreased significantly (P < 0.05). We also found that the plant shoot fresh weight and height increased greatly (P < 0.05) upon treatment with strain DHV3-2 compared to the plants uninoculated in greenhouse conditions. Root colonization showed that strain DHV3-2 had the higher root-colonizing capacity in the roots of infected plants compared with the roots of healthy plants. This isolate was identified as Streptomyces sp. based on morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA gene analysis. In conclusion, the roots of diseased tomato plants are a potential reservoir of biological control actinomycetes, and Streptomyces sp. strain DHV3-2 is a potential biocontrol agent against V. dahliae and growth elicitor in tomato.

Designing High-Performance Nanoscale Spin-MOSFET Devices by Using Two-Dimensional Half-Metallic Cr2Se3.

Constructing nanoscale spin devices has been a crucial pursuit in the field of nano spintronics. Here, by using the density functional theory (DFT) and nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method, high-performance nanoscale spin-MOSFET devices using half-metallic 2D Cr2Se3 as electrodes are theoretically designed. Specifically, seven typical two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, Sb, Bi, BP, BAs, MoTe2, WTe2, and WSeTe (with two different contacting surfaces), are considered here as the channel materials. The properties of contact interfaces between these 2D semiconductors and half-metallic 2D Cr2Se3 are first investigated. It is found that except BP and BAs (having Schottky contacts with Cr2Se3), the other 2D semiconductors have vertical Ohmic contacts with Cr2Se3 among which Cr2Se3/Sb, Cr2Se3/MoTe2, Cr2Se3/WTe2, Cr2Se3/WSeTe-Se, and Cr2Se3/WSeTe-Te retain the half-metallic characteristic. Then, these 2D semiconductors with Ohmic vertical contacts are further used to construct spin-MOSFET devices. The results show that devices constructed by half-metallic vertical contacting systems have nearly 100% SIE and therefore giant MR (>107%) when the gate voltage varies. Furthermore, four designed spin-MOSFET devices, namely, Cr2Se3/MoTe2, Cr2Se3/WTe2, Cr2Se3/WSeTe-Se, and Cr2Se3/WSeTe-Te spin-MOSFET have high efficient gate modulations on the magnitude of completely spin-polarized source-drain current with Cr2Se3/WTe2 having the smallest SS value of 134.1 mV/dec. The calculations suggest that Cr2Se3 is a good candidate for constructing spin-MOSFET devices. Our study sheds light on the design of high-performance nanoscale spin-MOSFET devices by using two-dimensional half-metallic electrodes.

Gabapentin attenuates cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction by inhibiting M1 macrophage polarization through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Inflammation regulates ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI), and gabapentin exerts anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the anti-inflammatory role and mechanism of gabapentin after MI. METHODS: Rats were divided into the sham group (n = 12), MI group (n = 20), and MI + gabapentin group (n = 16). MI was induced by left coronary artery ligation. The effects of gabapentin on THP-1-derived macrophages were examined in vitro. RESULTS: In vivo, 1 week after MI, gabapentin significantly reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS; M1 macrophage marker) expression and decreased pro-inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α and interleukin [IL]-1ß). Gabapentin upregulated the M2 macrophage marker arginase-1, as well as CD163 expression, and increased the expression of anti-inflammatory factors, including chitinase-like 3, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-ß. Four weeks after MI, cardiac function, infarct size, and cardiac fibrosis improved after gabapentin treatment. Gabapentin inhibited sympathetic nerve activity and decreased ventricular electrical instability in rats after MI. Tyrosine hydroxylase and growth-associated protein 43 were suppressed after gabapentin treatment. Gabapentin downregulated nerve growth factor (NGF) and reduced pro-inflammatory factors (iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-1ß). In vitro, gabapentin reduced NGF, iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-1ß expression in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. Mechanistic studies revealed that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ antagonist GW9662 attenuated the effects of gabapentin. Moreover, gabapentin reduced α2δ1 expression in the macrophage plasma membrane and reduced the calcium content of macrophages. CONCLUSION: Gabapentin attenuates cardiac remodeling by inhibiting inflammation via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ activation and preventing calcium overload.

Xiaoyaosan decoction regulates changes in neuropeptide y and leptin receptor in the rat arcuate nucleus after chronic immobilization stress.

The arcuate nucleus (ARC) in the basal of hypothalamus plays an important role in appetite regulation and energy balance. We sought to investigate the central neuroendocrine mechanism of appetite decrease and weight loss under chronic stress by observing the regulatory effects of Xiaoyaosan decoction in the expression of leptin receptor (ob-R) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the ARC. Our results showed that bodyweight and food intake of rats in the 21-day stress group increased slower than those of the normal group. Higher contents of Leptin and ob-R were noted in the 21-day stress group compared with control rats, while NPY expression was not statistically different. Xiaoyaosan powder can significantly downregulate the contents of leptin and ob-R in the hypothalamus of stressed rats. These findings suggest that increase of ob-R expression in the ARC is possibly one key central neuroendocrine change for the somatic discomfort. Weight loss and decreased food intake in rats caused by the binding of leptin to ob-R in hypothalamus do not appear to utilize the NPY pathway. This study also suggests that ob-R in the ARC may act as the target of Xiaoyaosan in regulating the symptoms such as appetite decrease and bodyweight loss under chronic stress.

Danggui Buxue Tang Ameliorates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis by Suppressing the TLR4/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway in Rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) on rats with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Sixty specific pathogen-free (SPF) male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, PF, prednisone treatment, and DBT treatment. Intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BLM) was performed to establish a PF rat model. DBT was administered to PF rats concurrently for 2 weeks. Lung samples were then collected for HE and Masson staining after pulmonary function testing, and semiquantitative analysis for the degree of alveolitis and fibrosis was performed using the Szapiel and Ashcroft score systems. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, hydroxyproline (HYP), hyaluronic acid (HA), and inflammatory cytokine content were measured. Western blotting was performed to detect fibrotic marker and TLR4/NLRP3 signaling pathway changes. RESULTS: Oral administration of DBT attenuated weight loss, survival rate, and pulmonary index. Lung histopathologic lesions were also reduced. DBT inhibited PF by decreasing the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and collagen deposition. Specifically, DBT reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß), IL-6, HYP, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and collagen III levels. Corollary experiments identified a potential mechanism involving suppression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway activation and the NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 axis, the downstream regulatory pathway. CONCLUSION: DBT exhibited a potent effect on BLM-induced PF rats by inhibiting the TLR4/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Thus, DBT alleviates pulmonary inflammation to inhibit fibrotic pathology and should be considered as a candidate for the clinical treatment of PF.

G protein γ subunit qPE9-1 is involved in rice adaptation under elevated CO2 concentration by regulating leaf photosynthesis.

G protein γ subunit qPE9-1 plays multiple roles in rice growth and development. However, the role of qPE9-1 in rice exposed to elevated carbon dioxide concentration (eCO2) is unknown. Here, we investigated its role in the regulation of rice growth under eCO2 conditions using qPE9-1 overexpression (OE) lines, RNAi lines and corresponding WT rice. Compared to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (aCO2), relative expression of qPE9-1 in rice leaf was approximately tenfold higher under eCO2. Under eCO2, the growth of WT and qPE9-1-overexpressing rice was significantly higher than under aCO2. Moreover, there was no significant effect of eCO2 on the growth of qPE9-1 RNAi lines. Furthermore, WT and qPE9-1-overexpressing rice showed higher net photosynthetic rate and carbohydrate content under eCO2 than under aCO2. Moreover, the relative expression of some photosynthesis related genes in WT, but not in RNAi3 line, showed significant difference under eCO2 in RNA-seq analysis. Compared to WT and RNAi lines, the rbcL gene expression and Rubisco content of rice leaves in qPE9-1-overexpressors were higher under eCO2. Overall, these results suggest that qPE9-1 is involved in rice adaptation under elevated CO2 concentration by regulating leaf photosynthesis via moderating rice photosynthetic light reaction and Rubisco content.

First-Principles Observation of Bonded 2D B4C3 Bilayers.

Two-dimensional (2D) B-C compounds possess rich allotropic structures with many applications. Obtaining new 2D B4C3 structures is highly desirable due to the novel applications of three-dimensional (3D) B4C3 in protections. In this work, we proposed a new family of 2D B4C3 from the first-principles calculations. Distinct from previous observations, this family of 2D B4C3 consists of bonded 2D B4C3 bilayers. Six different types of bilayers with distinct bonded structures are found. The phonon spectrum calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations at room temperature demonstrate their dynamic and thermal stabilities. Low formation energies suggest the high possibility of realizing such structures in experiments. Rich electronic structures are found, and the predicted Young's moduli are even higher than those of the previous ones. It is revealed that the unique electronic and mechanical properties are rooted in the bonding structures, indicating the prompting applications of this family of 2D B4C3 materials in photovoltaics, nanoelectronics, and nanomechanics.

Danggui Buxue Tang ameliorates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats through inhibiting transforming growth factor-ß1/Smad3/ plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a decoction from Traditional Chinese Medicine, on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats, and to propose the possible underlying mechanism. METHODS: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group, prednisone group and DBT group. Pulmonary fibrosis rat model was established by intratracheal injection with bleomycin. Body weight and lung index were monitored. Histopathologic examination and collagen deposition were determined using Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson's trichrome staining. Immunohistochemistry staining was applied to observe the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). mRNA expression of α-SMA, collagen Ⅰ and collagen Ⅲ were measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1ß in serum were detected by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Alkali hydrolysis method was conducted to investigate the content of hydroxyproline (HYP). Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), Smad3 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) protein level were examined by Western blot assay. RESULTS: DBT significantly reduced the severity of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation as indicated by minimizing the lost of weight, and by lowering the levels of lung index, inflammation score, Ashcroft score, collagen volume fraction (%), HYP, α-SMA, collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, TGF-ß1, Smad3 and PAI-1, consistent with the effect of prednisone. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that DBT is able to ameliorate the pulmonary fibrosis, the possible mechanism may involve inhibition of pulmonary inflammation and collagen deposition, possibly via suppressing TGF-ß1/Smad3/PAI-1 signaling pathway.

Fever and neck pain after pacemaker lead extraction: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Venous thrombosis (VT) is one of the minor complications of pacemaker lead extraction. It is often found due to the swelling of the limbs after the extraction. It is easy to be neglected or even misdiagnosed in the absence of typical clinical symptoms. The incidence, risk factors, and long-term impact of this complication are still unclear. Herein, we report a case of deep VT caused by transvenous lead extraction, which is easily misdiagnosed. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year-old woman underwent a pacemaker lead extraction at our hospital because of a pacemaker pocket infection. After the extraction, she began to experience intermittent fever accompanied by sweating. The highest body temperature recorded was 37.9 °C. Additionally, she reported migratory pain that made her uncomfortable. The pain was mistakenly thought to be caused by operation trauma. At first, the pain radiated from the left chest to the mandible. Then, the pain in the left chest was alleviated, but pain in the left neck and throat appeared. Finally, the pain was confined to the mandible and a submandibular mass was palpated with no other abnormalities upon physical examination. Computed tomography venography and angiography finally indicated that the fever and pain were the symptoms of thrombophlebitis caused by lead extraction. The patient was then treated with rivaroxaban for more than three months and has shown no symptoms since she left the hospital. CONCLUSION: The possibility of thrombosis should be considered when pain and recurrent fever occur after pacemaker lead extraction.

Xiaoyaosan decoction regulates food intake and body weight via the leptin-leptin receptor-proopiomelanocortin pathway in rats with chronic immobilization stress.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of the Xiaoyaosan (XYS) decoction on the food intake and body weight of rats with chronic immobilization stress (CIS), as well as the concentration of serum leptin and the expression of feeding-related neuropeptides [leptin receptor (Ob-R), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)] in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC). METHODS: We subjected rats to CIS for 3 h a day. The rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control group, 7-day stress group, 21-day stress group and XYS-treated group. The rats in the two stress groups were exposed to CIS for 7 or 21 d. The rats in the XYS-treated group were also exposed to CIS for 21 d and were intragastrically administered the XYS decoction before stress. The body weight and food intake of the rats were measured every day. The content of leptin in serum and α-MSH in the ARC were detected by ELISA, and the expression of neuropeptides in the ARC was assayed by immunofluorescence, Western blot and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: The food intake and body weight of rats exposed to CIS were lower than those of control rats. The serum leptin, and expression levels of Ob-R, POMC and α-MSH in the ARC were significantly higher than those in the control rats. Treatment with the XYS decoction improved the appetite and the body weight, and down-regulated serum leptin and Ob-R, POMC and α-MSH in hypothalamus ARC. CONCLUSION: The leptin-Ob-R-POMC pathway might be the part of the mechanism underlying XYS's improvement of somatic symptoms such as reduction in food intake and body weight related to CIS.

Ammonia oxidizers and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria respond differently to long-term manure application in four paddy soils of south of China.

Nitrification plays an important role in the soil nitrogen (N) cycle, and fertilizer application may influence soil nitrifiers' abundance and composition. However, the effect of long-term manure application in paddy soils on nitrifying populations is poorly understood. We chose four long-term manure experimental fields in the south of China to study how the abundance and community structure of nitrifiers would change in response to long-term manure application using quantitative PCR and Miseq sequencing analyses. Our results showed that manure application significantly increased ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) abundance at the ChangSha (CS) and NanChang (NC) sites, while the abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) represented 4.8- and 12.8- fold increases at the JiaXing (JX) and YingTan (YT) sites, respectively. Miseq sequencing of 16S rRNA genes indicated that manure application altered the community structure of nitrifying populations, especially at the NC and YT sites. The application of manure significantly changed AOA and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) community structures but not those of AOB, suggesting that AOA and NOB may be more sensitive to manures. Variation partitioning analysis (VPA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that soil pH, TN, NO3--N and water content were the main factors in shaping nitrifying communities. These findings suggest that nitrifiers respond diversely to manure application, and soil physiochemical properties play an important role in determining nitrifiers' abundance and communities with long-term manure addition.

Variations in eco-enzymatic stoichiometric and microbial characteristics in paddy soil as affected by long-term integrated organic-inorganic fertilization.

To investigate the effects of different nutrient management regimes on the soil chemical, eco-enzymatic stoichiometric and microbial characteristics, soil samples were collected from a 30-year, long-term field experiment with six plots growing rice. The results showed that as integrated fertilization increased, so did the concentrations of soil total or available nutrients and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Our results also found enhanced soil basal respiration and cumulative carbon mineralization compared to chemical fertilization alone at the same nutrient doses. The activities of soil protease (Pro), ß-glucosidase (ßG), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) and acid phosphatase (AP) from the integrated fertilization treatments were significantly higher than those of the treatments without organic manure, so did the activities of soil leucyl aminopeptidase (LAP) and urease (Ure) from the treatment with organic manure in addition to farmer practise fertilization (NPKM2). The stoichiometric ratios, expressed as lnßG/ln(NAG+LAP)/lnPro/lnUre/lnAP, ranged from 1:0.94:1.04:0.67:1.01 to 1:0.98:1.10:0.78:1.25, indicating that the acquisition of C, N and P changed consistently and synchronously under different nutrient management strategies. Integrated fertilization was more beneficial to the acquisition and utilization of soil organic carbon compared to low-molecular-weight organic nitrogen. We concluded that protease and urease should be considered in eco-enzymatic stoichiometric assessments for the hydrolysis of proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates and phosphomonoesters in soil, and integrated fertilization with chemical fertilizers and organic manure should be recommended as a preferable nutrient management system for intensive rice cultivation.

The effects of poloxamer 188 on the autophagy induced by traumatic brain injury.

Poloxamer 188 (P188) has been reported to reseal plasma membranes and attenuate TBI-induced neuronal death by suppressing apoptosis. Recent studies also confirm increased autophagy after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The present study aimed to investigate the effects of plasmalemmal resealing by P188 on neuronal autophagy in TBI. Scratch test was performed in rat cell line PC-12 in vitro, followed by immunofluorescence analysis of LC3 24h after PC-12 cell stretch-injury in vitro. CD1 mice were randomized into saline and P188-treatment groups (both undergoing intravenous injection of 4mg/ml, 100µl via the caudal vein 30min after TBI) as well as sham group. To analyze the effect of P188 on autophagy, the LC3 protein levels were assessed by western blotting 1h, 6h, 12h, 24h, and 48h after TBI. The autophagy-associated protein levels of Beclin-1, Bcl-2, and p62 were likewise determined. In vitro, the scratch test showed that the wound healing rate was significantly improved at 12h and 24h in P188 groups, and LC3 immunofluorescence analysis indicated that P188 induced extensive formation of LC3 puncta in PC-12 cells. In vivo, western blotting analyses revealed elevations of the LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin-1/bcl-2 ratios as well as downregulation of p62 in the saline group, in contrast with the more significant increases of LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin-1/bcl-2 ratios and the further downregulation of p62 in P188-treated group. These results revealed that plasma membranes were resealed after TBI, in which P188 aggravated autophagy in vivo.

Apelin-13 as a novel target for intervention in secondary injury after traumatic brain injury.

The adipocytokine, apelin-13, is an abundantly expressed peptide in the nervous system. Apelin-13 protects the brain against ischemia/reperfusion injury and attenuates traumatic brain injury by suppressing autophagy. However, secondary apelin-13 effects on traumatic brain injury-induced neural cell death and blood-brain barrier integrity are still not clear. Here, we found that apelin-13 significantly decreases cerebral water content, mitigates blood-brain barrier destruction, reduces aquaporin-4 expression, diminishes caspase-3 and Bax expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and reduces apoptosis. These results show that apelin-13 attenuates secondary injury after traumatic brain injury and exerts a neuroprotective effect.

Reproductive health indicators for China's rural areas.

We report community-based development of reproductive health indicators for China's rural areas. To generate these indicators, we sequenced two participatory techniques known as nominal group process and Delphi survey methodology. Nominal group process entailed grassroots reproductive health workers' generating indicators, followed by refinement and prioritization of these indicators through a consensus-building Delphi process among nationally and internationally known reproductive health experts. Major criteria for the indicators were practicality, feasibility, and measurability within China's rural areas. We explain the importance of establishing these indicators for application in rural China and other developing countries as a complement to the World Health Organization's reproductive health indicators for global monitoring; present the identified indicators; and describe lessons learned from field testing in low-, middle-, and high-income counties of China's countryside.

Influences of sediment properties and macrophytes on phosphorous speciation in the intertidal marsh.

Phosphorus (P) in wetlands is mainly bound to sediment in various species, which is essential to predict water column P levels. The purpose of this work is to understand the influences of sediment properties and vegetation types on P speciation. Sediments under four vegetation types in the tidal flat and offshore sandbar in Hangzhou Bay of China were collected seasonally. The rank order of P species in sediment based on concentration was exchangeable P (Exch-P) < iron/aluminum-bound P (Fe/Al-P) < organic P (Org-P) < calcium-bound P (Ca-P). Sediment total phosphorus (TP) and Fe/Al-P concentrations were lower in offshore sandbar than those of tidal flat, reflecting effects of anthropogenic contamination in the latter. Sediment particle size distribution strongly affected P speciation, as indicated by a significant correlation between them. Total phosphorus and Org-P concentrations in vegetated sediments were higher than those of bare mudflat. Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between Ca-P and Org-P, and Fe/Al-P, indicating the presence of vegetation which may result in P speciation by converting Ca-P to soluble and active P and higher Org-P. Overall, sediment particle size distribution is the most fundamental physical property that affects P speciation, and vegetation types are important factors that influence Org-P concentration.

Development and evaluation of Chinese medicine fire-heat syndrome scale in oral cavity for measuring Chinese herb toothpaste.

OBJECTIVE: To formulate the standard measuring tool for the evaluations on fire-heat syndrome in oral cavity by means of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: The measuring scale for fire-heat syndrome in the oral cavity by means of CM was investigated by symptom collection, item pool formulation, item selection, pre-investigation, evaluations on the reliability, validity and reactivity of the measuring scale, according to the principles for measuring scale design and under the guidance of CM theories. RESULTS: The measuring scale was composed of two integrative parts: the self-filling section and the interview section. As far as the reliability was concerned, the total Cronbach α coefficient of the measuring scale was 0.866, the total test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.726 and the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.851. As far as the validity was concerned, the scores for the subjects of fire-heat syndrome in oral cavity and healthy people in their oral cavity in the items of symptoms were statistically different (P<0.01); three common divisors were extracted according to the theoretical dimensions, the accumulated contribution rate was 63.468%. As far as the reactivity was concerned, the difference between the symptom scores before and after the test in which 31 subjects used the Chinese herb toothpaste was statistically significant (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This measuring scale has relatively good reliability, validity and reactivity, and it can be used in an objective quantitative evaluation on patients suffering from fire-heat syndrome in oral cavity, and thus lay the foundations for the evaluations on the therapeutic effects of Chinese herb toothpaste on fire-heat syndrome in oral cavity.