[Predictions of potential geographical distribution of Alhagi sparsifolia under climate change].

Specific information on geographic distribution of a species is important for its conservation. This study was conducted to determine the potential geographic distribution of Alhagi sparsifolia, which is a plant used in traditional Uighur medicine, and predict how climate change would affect its geographic range. The potential geographic distribution of A. sparsifolia under the current conditions in China was simulated with MaxEnt software based on species presence data at 42 locations and 19 climatic variables. The future distributions of A. sparsifolia were also projected in 2050 and 2070 under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 described in 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).The result showed that mean temperature of the coldest quarter, annual mean temperature, precipitation of the coldest quarter, annual precipitation, precipitation of the wettest month, mean temperature of the wettest quarter and the temperature annual range were the seven climatic factors influencing the geographic distribution of A. sparsifolia under current climate, the suitable habitats are mainly located in the Xinjiang, in the middle and north of Gansu, in the west of Neimeng, in the north of Nei Monggol. From 2050 to 2070, the model simulations indicated that the suitable habitats of A. sparsifolia would decrease under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and scenarios of RCP8.5 on the whole.

[Projection of potential geographic distribution of Apocynum venetum under climate change in northern China].

Apocynum venetum belongs to apocynaceae and is a perennial medicinal plant, its stem is an important textile raw materials. The projection of potential geographic distribution of A. venetum has an important significance for the protection and sustainable utilization of the plant. This study was conducted to determine the potential geographic distribution of A. venetum and to project how climate change would affect its geographic distribution. The projection geographic distribution of A. venetum under current bioclimatic conditions in northern China was simulated using MaxEnt software based on species presence data at 44 locations and 19 bioclimatic parameters. The future distributions of A. venetum were also projected in 2050 and 2070 under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 described in 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The result showed that min air temperature of the coldest month, annual mean air temperature, precipitation of the coldest quarter and mean air temperature of the wettest quarter dominated the geographic distribution of A. venetum. Under current climate, the suitable habitats of A. venetum is 11.94% in China, the suitable habitats are mainly located in the middle of Xinjiang, in the northern part of Gansu, in the southern part of Neimeng, in the northern part of Ningxia, in the middle and northern part of Shaanxi, in the southern part of Shanxi, in the middle and northern part of Henan, in the middle and southern part of Hebei, Shandong, Tianjin, in the southern part of Liaoning and part of Beijing. From 2050 to 2070, the model outputs indicated that the suitable habitats of A. venetum would decrease under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5.

[Evaluation of high-resolution images application for wild medicinal plants macro monitoring: a case of Apocynum].

To investigate the resources of medicinal plant, such as wild Apocynum, supervised classification based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and texture feature were used to monitor wild medicinal plants from image captured by ZY-3 and World-view-2 and compare which satellite Image are more appropriate to monitor the wild medicinal plants. The research results shows that: for more complex growth conditions wild medicinal plants Apocynum, high-resolution images Worldview-2 is more suitable for its remote identification, the low-resolution satellite ZY-3 can only recognizes the wild medicinal plants which distributed intensively. If the study target distribution is more intensive and larger scale, and cultivated type medicinal plants, the use of satellite ZY-3 in low resolution remote sensing data to identify the target can be a good choice, it is not necessary to buy high-resolution data, in order to avoid waste of expenditure, for the scattered distribution, the high-resolution satellite imagery data may be indispensable to identify targets.

[Measurement of sown area of safflower based on PCA and texture features classification and remote sensing imagery].

To improve accuracy of estimation in planted safflower acreage,we selected agricultural area in Yumin County, Xinjiang as the study area. There safflower was concentrated planted. Supervised classification based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and texture feature were used to obtain the safflower acreage from image captured by ZY-3. The classification result was compared with only spectral feature and spectral feature with texture feature. The research result shows that this method can effectively solve the problem of low accuracy and fracture classification result in single data source classification. The overall accuracy is 87.519 1%, which increases by 7.117 2% compared with single data source classification. Therefore, the classification method based on PCA and texture features can be adapted to RS image classification and estimate the acreage of safflower. This study provides a feasible solution for estimation of planted safflower acreage by image captured by ZY-3 satellite.

Case report: A rare Salter-Harris V metaphyseal fatigue fracture of the knee in an adolescent patient with obesity.

Stress fractures are rare, occurring in 1.5/100,000 high school athletes. High impact, repetitive loading participation in woman's sports, and being a white athlete have been identified as risk factors for stress fractures. Mostly treated conservatively, they are more common in the tibia (33%). Stress fractures requiring surgery, which are extremely rare, have been reported in the scaphoid, fifth metatarsal, and neck of femur. Herein, a 16-year-old adolescent patient with obesity presented with atypical knee pain after prolonged exercise. Advanced imaging revealed a stress fracture of the left tibia with a Salter-Harris type V fracture and varus deformity of the knee. We initially managed the fatigue fracture conservatively, followed by surgical correction of the varus deformity in the knee joint. The patient made a satisfactory recovery with equal limb length and no evidence of claudication. This is the first case of a proximal tibial metaphyseal stress fracture requiring surgery. The clinical manifestations of proximal tibial metaphyseal stress fractures and potential treatment strategies and the use of magnetic resonance for tibial stress fractures have been discussed. Understanding the location of unusual stress fractures can improve early diagnostic efficiency and reduce complication rates, healthcare costs, and recovery time.

Predictions Based on Different Climate Change Scenarios: The Habitat of Typical Locust Species Is Shrinking in Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China.

Climate change, especially climate extremes, can increase the uncertainty of locust outbreaks. The Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus (Linnaeus, 1758)), Asian migratory locust (Locusta migratoria migratoria Linnaeus, 1758), and Siberian locust (Gomphocerus sibiricus (Linnaeus, 1767)) are common pests widely distributed in the semidesert grasslands of Central Asia and its surrounding regions. Predicting the geographic distribution changes and future habitats of locusts in the context of climate warming is essential to effectively prevent large and sudden locust outbreaks. In this study, the optimized maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model, employing a combination of climatic, soil, and topographic factors, was used to predict the potential fitness areas of typical locusts in the 2030s and 2050s, assuming four shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585) in the CMIP6 model. Modeling results showed that the mean area under the curve (AUC) and true statistical skill (TSS) of the MaxEnt model reached 0.933 and 0.7651, respectively, indicating that the model exhibited good prediction performance. Our results showed that soil surface sand content, slope, mean precipitation during the hottest season, and precipitation seasonality were the key environmental variables affecting locust distribution in the region. The three locust species were mainly distributed in the upstream region of the Irtysh River, the Alatao Mountain region, the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, around Sayram Lake, the eastern part of the Alakol Lake region, the Tekes River region, the western part of Ulungur Lake, the Ili River, and the upstream region of the Tarim River. According to several climate projections, the area of potential habitat for the three most common locust species will decrease by 3.9 × 104-4.6 × 104 km2 by the 2030s and by 6.4 × 104-10.6 × 104 km2 by the 2050s. As the climate becomes more extreme, the suitable area will shrink, but the highly suitable area will expand; thus, the risk of infestation should be taken seriously. Our study present a timely investigation to add to extensive literature currently appearing regarding the myriad ways climate change may affect species. While this naturally details a limited range of taxa, methods and potential impacts may be more broadly applicable to other locust species.

A Study on the Recurrence Rate of Trigeminal Neuralgia after MVD and the Related Factors.

The aim of this article is to investigate the related factors affecting the recurrence of microvascular decompression (MVD) after trigeminal neuralgia. We selected 400 cases of patients who met the diagnostic criteria of primary trigeminal neuralgia. The recurrence rate of patients and their statistical data related factors such as age, gender, disease duration, pain branches, vascular compression, patients, and complications (urban and rural), were collected. Of the 400 cases, 36 had recurrence after 2 years. In female group, the recurrence rate was (9.4%) higher than the recurrence rate in male group (8%); no recurrence rate of vascular compression group (40%) was higher than that of vascular compression group recurrence rate (8.6%); the recurrence rate of each branch in pain group from high to low was V 2-3 (13.4%), V 2 (12.5%), V 1 (9.1%), V 3 (7.5%), V 1-2-3 (4.4%), V 1-2 (4.3%), V 1-3 (0%); and the difference was statistically significant ( p < 0.05).Gender of the patient, the presence of vascular pressure, and the branch of pain could significantly affect the postoperative recurrence rate of trigeminal neuralgia in patients treated with simple MVD ( p < 0.05).

Chemokines and their receptors in lung cancer progression and metastasis.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality around the world. Despite advancements in diagnosis, surgical techniques, and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy over the last decade, the mortality rate is still high and the 5-year survival is a dismal 15%. Fortunately, early detection by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans has reduced mortality by 20%; yet, overall, 5-year-survival remains low at less than 20%. Therefore, in order to ameliorate this situation, a thorough understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms is urgently needed. Chemokines and their receptors, crucial microenvironmental factors, play important roles in lung tumor genesis, progression, and metastasis, and exploring the mechanisms of this might bring new insights into early diagnosis and precisely targeted treatment. Consequently, this review will mainly focus on recent advancements on the axes of chemokines and their receptors of lung cancer.

Elevated Preoperative Serum Hs-CRP Level as a Prognostic Factor in Patients Who Underwent Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

To evaluate the effects of preoperative highly sensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) in serum on the prognostic outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatic resection in Chinese samples.From January 2004 to December 2008, a total of 624 consecutive HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection were incorporated. Serum levels of Hs-CRP were tested at preoperation via a collection of venous blood samples. Survival analyses adopted the univariate and multivariate analyses.In our study, among the 624 screened HCC patients, 516 patients were eventually incorporated and completed follow-up. Positive correlations were found regarding preoperative serum Hs-CRP level and tumor size, Child-Pugh class, or tumor stage (all P < 0.0001). Patients with recurrence outcomes and nonsurvivors had increased Hs-CRP levels at preoperation (both P < 0.0001). When compared to the Hs-CRP-normal group, the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival rates were evidently decreased in the Hs-CRP-elevated group. Further, preoperative serum Hs-CRP level might be having possible prediction effect regarding survival and recurrence of HCC patients after hepatic section in the multivariate analysis.Preoperative increased serum Hs-CRP level was an independent prognostic indicator in patients with HCC following hepatic resection in Chinese samples.

Involvement of discoidin domain 1 receptor in recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma by genome-wide analysis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly invasive with a high frequency of recurrence following surgery and poor prognosis. The underlying molecular mechanisms for HCC recurrence are not well understood. Here, we used microarray technology for genome-wide analysis to identify genes who may be involved in tumor recurrence. cDNA from HCC tumor tissues of patients with early recurrence (ER; n = 10) and patients whose HCC had not recurred ≥ 2 years postsurgery (nER; n = 10) was hybridized to the Affymetrix Human Geome U133 plus 2.0 whole-genome microarray. Gene clusters were identified and used for hierarchial clustering and principal component analysis. Genes with more than twofold change in expression between ER and nER groups were further analyzed. Expression levels of a subset of genes were validated using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. A total of 1,646 genes had significantly different expression between the ER and nER groups (P < 0.05) with 61 and 49 genes in the ER upregulated and downregulated for more than twofold in comparison with the nER group, respectively. The cellular functions of differentially expressed genes included cell adhesion, motility, cytoskeleton, transcription, metabolism, signal transduction, and apoptosis. The discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) mRNA expression was significantly higher in the ER (3.36 ± 0.39) compared with the nER group (3.01 ± 0.49; P = 0.020). A greater proportion of liver tissue samples from ER versus nER patients had DDR1 protein expression (80.0 vs. 40.0 %, P = 0.022). Using microarray technology, we identified a number of genes whose expression differed between patients with recurrent HCC compared to those without. DD1 mRNA and protein levels were higher in patients with recurrent HCC, suggesting this gene maybe involved in tumor invasion and metastasis.

[Expression of SOX4 gene and early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma: their relationship and the clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: T To explore the relationship between the expression of SOX4 gene and early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection. METHODS: SOX4 expression was detected immunohistochemically in 60 HCC patients including 30 with and 30 without early recurrence after curative resection, with 30 normal liver specimens as the control. RESULTS: The expression of SOX4 was significantly higher in HCC than in normal liver (41.7% vs 16.7%, P<0.05), and in HCC tissues, the expression was significantly higher in early recurrent HCC after curative resection than in HCC without early recurrence (56.7% vs 26.7%, P<0.05). SOX4 expression was inversely correlated to the patients' gender, age, tumor size, HBsAg, and Edmonson grade (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: SOX4 is closely associated with early recurrence of HCC after curative resection, and its overexpression may contribute to early recurrence of HCC. SOX4 may serve as a new molecular indicator for evaluating the prognosis of HCC.

[Role of calcium signal in apoptosis and protective mechanism of colon cancer cell line SW480 in response to 5-aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for tumors is based on the tumor-selective accumulation of a photosensitizer, followed by irradiation with visible light, which induces cell death and apoptosis. As an important second messenger, free calcium is involved in the regulation of several cellular processes. However, the role of calcium signal in the cells after PDT is less clear. This study was to explore the role of calcium signal in apoptosis and protective mechanism of colon cancer cell line SW480 in response to 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-PDT. METHODS: SW480 cells were divided into control group, light group, ALA group, and ALA-PDT group. Cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assay. The changes of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Intracellular cAMP and cGMP concentrations were detected by radioimmunoassay. The expression of calmodulin in SW480 cells was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of protein products and phosphorylated protein products of MEK and ERK1/2 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Apoptosis indexes of SW480 cells at 30 min and 60 min after PDT were (25.26+/-5.04)% and (50.45+/-7.85)%, respectively. CLSM revealed that intracellular Ca(2+) concentration was 100.00+/-19.83 at 10 min after PDT, but 185.40+/-18.90 at 20 min after PDT (P<0.01). cAMP concentration of ALA-PDT group was (3.215+/-0.245) pmol/L at 30 min after irradiation, which was significantly higher than those of other groups (P<0.001). The relative contents of CaM gene of ALA-PDT group at 30, 60 and 90 min after PDT were significantly higher than those of control group, light group, and ALA group (12.60+/-1.84, 11.39+/-1.13, and 12.77+/-1.35 vs. 3.97+/-0.29, 4.28+/-0.39, and 4.51+/-0.44, P<0.001). ERK pathway of SW480 cells was activated after ALA-PDT. CONCLUSIONS: Calcium signal plays an important role in ALA-PDT-induced apoptosis of SW480 cells, and can induce protective mechanism of SW480 cells by activating ERK pathway.