Comparative microbiome analysis reveals the variation in microbial communities between 'Kyoho' grape and its bud mutant variety.

Microbes are an important part of the vineyard ecosystem, which significantly influence the quality of grapes. Previously, we identified a bud mutant variety (named 'Fengzao') from 'Kyoho' grapes. The variation of microbial communities in grape and its bud mutant variety has not been studied yet. So, in this study, with the samples of both 'Fengzao' and 'Kyoho', we conducted high-throughput microbiome sequencing and investigated their microbial communities in different tissues. Obvious differences were observed in the microbial communities between 'Fengzao' and 'Kyoho'. The fruit and the stem are the tissues with relatively higher abundance of microbes, while the leaves contained less microbes. The fruit and the stem of 'Kyoho' and the stem of 'Fengzao' had relatively higher species diversity based on the alpha diversity analysis. Proteobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and Rhodobacteraceae had significantly high abundance in 'Fengzao'. Firmicutes and Pseudomonas were highly abundant in the stems of 'Kyoho', and family of Spirochaetaceae, Anaplasmataceae, Chlorobiaceae, and Sphingomonadaceae, and genera of Spirochaeta, Sphingomonas, Chlorobaculum and Wolbachia were abundant in the fruits of 'Kyoho'. These identified microbes are main components of the microbial communities, and could be important regulators of grapevine growth and development. This study revealed the differences in the microbial compositions between 'Kyoho' and its bud mutant, and these identified microbes will be significant resources for the future researches on the quality regulation and disease control of grapevines.

Ultrabright organic fluorescent microparticles for in vivo tracing applications.

We report the in vivo distribution, toxicity and metabolism of micro-sized fluorescent organic particles and their applications in cerebral blood flow tracing. The fluorescent microparticles exhibit bright fluorescence, good photo-stability and low toxicity; therefore, they are ideal for long-term non-invasive in vivo tracing. In contrast to conventional fluorescent labeling agents, which stain the entire blood vessel, the tracer microparticles can be easily tracked individually and provide vital information about blood flow behavior. Furthermore, we observed stimulated emission from these microparticles in living animals. These microparticles can provide unprecedented contrast for simultaneous observation of the distribution of blood vessels and the dynamics of microcirculation. Pathological examination revealed that the injected microparticles eventually collected in the spleen and liver. We found no observable toxicity of the microparticles to cells or mouse organs. We demonstrate that these fluorescent microparticles are suitable for applications in the field of non-intrusive blood flow tracing and could play a complementary role to traditional imaging agents.

[Artificial femoral head replacement for the treatment of unstable intertrochanteric fractures in aged patients: a report 40 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To study the operative procedures, indicatrions and short-term effects of the artificial femoral head replacement for the treatment of unstable intertrochanteric fracture in aged patients. METHODS: From January 2001 to October 2008, 40 patients with unstable intertrochanteric fractures were treated with artificial femoral head replacement. Among the patients, 9 patients were male and 31 patients were female, ranging in age from 75 to 95 years, averaged 81.1 years. The duration from injured to the hospitalization ranged from 3 to 48 hours, with a mean of 11.5 h. According to Evans classification, 8 patients were type II , 21 type III, and 11 type IV. The duration from hospitalization to operation ranged from 4 to 8 days, averaged 4.8 day. After the operation, the hip motion was observed and the preoperative and postoperative Harris scores were compared. RESULTS: All the patients were operated successfully, and were kept in bed about 4 to 7 days, 5.9 days in average. Thirty-one patients were followed up for 6 months without loose or dislocation of prothesis, periprosthetic fractures. Fourteen patients resumed to normal activity of the hip joint while 17 patients showed the declination of hip movement. Their hip movements recovered to (66.67+/-26.35)% at 4 months after operations and (76.08+/-25.62)% at 6 months. Among 10 patients with normal ability of hip joints before their injuries were valuated with Harris system at 6 mouths after operations, the results were:5 excellent, 3 good and 2 poor. CONCLUSION: Artificial femoral head replacement for unstable intertrochanteric fractures in aged patients is effective in the recovery of hip joint function in short time with earlier walking and decreased complications.