Percutaneous endoscopic decompression for calcified thoracic disc herniation using a novel T rigid bendable burr.

BACKGROUND: The basic endoscopic instruments are not suitable for removing calcified or hard discs in patients with thoracic disc herniations (TDH). We describe a percutaneous endoscopic technique for the treatment of calcified TDH using an endoscopic drill system with a T rigid bendable burr. METHODS: Eleven patients (8 males, mean age 42.1 years) with single-segmental calcified TDH were treated with percutaneous endoscopic surgeries. RESULTS: Our technique using this endoscopic drill system with a T rigid bendable burr is safe and effective for the treatment of calcified TDH. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous endoscopic decompression using the T rigid bendable burr is a safe and reproducible surgical procedure for the treatment of calcified TDH.

Association between complete right bundle branch block and atrial fibrillation development.

BACKGROUND: Complete right bundle branch block (CRBBB) is an important predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation. However, the association between CRBBB and AF development remains unclear. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 2639 patients (male, n = 1549; female, n = 1090; mean age, 58 ± 13 years). CRBBB was defined as a late R (R') wave in lead V1 or V2 with a slurred S wave in lead I and/or lead V6 with a prolonged QRS duration (≥120 ms). RESULTS: Among the 2639 patients, CRBBB was detected in 40 patients (1.5%), and the prevalence of AF was 7.4% (196/2639). The proportion of patients with AF and CRBBB was higher than the proportion of patients with AF without CRBBB (22.5% vs. 7.2%; p = 0.001). In the forward multivariate logistic analysis, CRBBB (odds ratio [OR], 3.329; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.350-8.211; p = 0.009), complete left bundle branch block (OR, 2.209; 95% CI, 1.238-3.940; p = 0.007), age (OR, 1.020; 95% CI, 1.005-1.035; p = 0.009), valvular heart disease (OR, 2.332; 95% CI, 1.531-3.552; p < 0.001), left atrial diameter (OR, 1.133; 95% CI, 1.104-1.163; p < 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction (OR, 1.023; 95% CI, 1.006-1.041; p = 0.007), and class I or III anti-arrhythmic drug use (OR, 10.534; 95% CI, 7.090-15.651; p < 0.001) were associated with AF. CONCLUSION: Complete right bundle branch block was significantly associated with AF development in hospitalized patients with cardiovascular diseases.

PU.1 inhibition attenuates atrial fibrosis and atrial fibrillation vulnerability induced by angiotensin-II by reducing TGF-ß1/Smads pathway activation.

Fibrosis serves a critical role in driving atrial remodelling-mediated atrial fibrillation (AF). Abnormal levels of the transcription factor PU.1, a key regulator of fibrosis, are associated with cardiac injury and dysfunction following acute viral myocarditis. However, the role of PU.1 in atrial fibrosis and vulnerability to AF remain unclear. Here, an in vivo atrial fibrosis model was developed by the continuous infusion of C57 mice with subcutaneous Ang-II, while the in vitro model comprised atrial fibroblasts that were isolated and cultured. The expression of PU.1 was significantly up-regulated in the Ang-II-induced group compared with the sham/control group in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, protein expression along the TGF-ß1/Smads pathway and the proliferation and differentiation of atrial fibroblasts induced by Ang-II were significantly higher in the Ang-II-induced group than in the sham/control group. These effects were attenuated by exposure to DB1976, a PU.1 inhibitor, both in vivo and in vitro. Importantly, in vitro treatment with small interfering RNA against Smad3 (key protein of TGF-ß1/Smads signalling pathway) diminished these Ang-II-mediated effects, and the si-Smad3-mediated effects were, in turn, antagonized by the addition of a PU.1-overexpression adenoviral vector. Finally, PU.1 inhibition reduced the atrial fibrosis induced by Ang-II and attenuated vulnerability to AF, at least in part through the TGF-ß1/Smads pathway. Overall, the study implicates PU.1 as a potential therapeutic target to inhibit Ang-II-induced atrial fibrosis and vulnerability to AF.

Effect of catheter ablation on clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation and significant functional mitral regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and functional mitral regurgitation (MR), catheter ablation reduces the severity of MR and improves cardiac remodeling. However, its effects on prognosis are uncertain. METHODS: This retrospective study included 151 consecutive patients with AF and functional MR, 82 (54.3%) of whom were treated by catheter ablation (Ablation group) and 69 (45.7%) with drug therapy without ablation (Non-ablation group). Forty-three pairs of these patients were propensity matched on the basis of age, CHA2DS2-VASc scores, and left ventricular ejection fraction. The primary outcome evaluated was severity of MR, cardiac remodeling and the combined incidence of subsequent heart failure-related hospitalization and strokes/transient ischemic attacks. RESULTS: Patients in the Ablation group showed a significant decrease in the severity of MR (p < 0.001), a significant decrease in the left atrial diameter (p = 0.010), and significant improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.015). However, patients in the Non-ablation group showed only a significant decrease in the severity of MR (p = 0.004). The annual incidence of the studied events was 4.9% in the Ablation group and 16.7% in the Non-ablation group, the incidence being significantly lower in the ablation than Non-ablation group (p = 0.026) according to Kaplan-Meier curve analyses. According to multivariate Cox regression analysis, catheter ablation therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09-0.84; p = 0.024) and heart failure at baseline (HR 3.84, 95% CI 1.07-13.74; p = 0.038) were independent predictors of the incidence of the studied events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with AF and functional MR, catheter ablation was associated with a significantly lower combined risk of heart failure-related hospitalization and stroke than in a matched cohort of patients receiving drug therapy alone.

Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices about Human Papilloma Virus vaccine among the nurses working in a tertiary hospital in China: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge about human papilloma virus infection and vaccine, to ascertain the attitude and practices about the vaccine, and to ascertain the determinants preventing people from getting themselves vaccinated. METHODS: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from June to August 2015 in Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Henan, China, and comprised all the nursing staff including nursing students. A piloted semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting data. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 18. RESULTS: Of the 308 subjects, 190(61.6%) were professional nurses and 118(38.3%) were nursing students. The mean age of the nurses was 36.7±6.2 years and that of the students was 20.4±2.1 years. Overall, 254(82.5%) subjects were aware about the existence of human papilloma virus vaccine; 241(94.9%) thought that the vaccine could effectively prevent the development of cervical cancer; and 108(61.4%) were reluctant to get vaccinated because the vaccine was expensive. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to address the myths and misconceptions associated with vaccines in order to improve the acceptance of human papilloma virus vaccine among them.

Study on Seepage Characteristics of Grouting Slurry for Water-Absorbing Mudstone with Rough Fissure.

Based on the computed tomography scanning, which abbreviation is CT scanning, and fractal theory, geometric parameters of mudstone fissures are obtained. The physical model of a single fissured channel is obtained in combination with Barton standard curves and 3D printing technology, and similar materials of mudstone are developed based on the water absorption of natural mudstone to prepare single fissured water-absorbing grouting test blocks with different roughness levels for the grouting simulation testing. By analyzing the viscosity change characteristics of grouting slurry before and after grouting, the seepage characteristics of the grouting slurry in the rough fissures of the water-absorbing mudstone are revealed. The results show that when the roughness is small, the grouting slurry will have an obvious water loss effect after passing through mudstone fissures. However, with the flow of the slurry, the water loss effect of the subsequent grouting slurry will be weakened. For fissures with high roughness, the water absorption properties of the rough surfaces and the walls of the mudstone fissures work together, leading to the sedimentation and blockage of the fissure channels, thereby hindering the flow of slurry.

Epidemiology and prognostic nomogram for locally advanced gastric signet ring cell carcinoma: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma (GSRC) represents a specific subtype of gastric cancer renowned for its contentious epidemiological features, treatment principles, and prognostic factors. AIM: To investigate the epidemiology of GSRC and establish an improved model for predicting the prognosis of patients with locally advanced GSRC (LAGSRC) after surgery. METHODS: The annual rates of GSRC incidence and mortality, covering the years 1975 to 2019, were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to explore the temporal trends in both disease incidence and mortality rates using Joinpoint software. The clinical data of 3793 postoperative LAGSRC patients were collected from the SEER database for the analysis of survival rates. The Cox regression model was used to explore the independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). The risk factors extracted were used to establish a prognostic nomogram. RESULTS: The overall incidence of GSRC increased dramatically between 1975 and 1998, followed by a significant downward trend in incidence after 1998. In recent years, there has been a similarly optimistic trend in GSRC mortality rates. The trend in GSRC showed discrepancies based on age and sex. Receiver operating characteristic curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS demonstrated the high discriminative ability and clinical utility of this nomogram. The area under the curve indicated that the performance of the new model outperformed that of the pathological staging system. CONCLUSION: The model we established can aid clinicians in the early prognostication of LAGSRC patients, resulting in improved clinical outcomes by modifying management strategies and patient health care.

Global trends of targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A bibliometric and visualized study from 2008 to 2022.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an exceedingly prevalent malignancy with an exceptionally poor prognosis. Targeted therapy is an effective treatment option for patients with advanced HCC. However, there have been no bibliometric analyses of targeted therapies for HCC. METHODS: This study aimed to assess the current status and future directions of targeted therapy for HCC to provide future scholars with clearer research contents and popular themes. Methods: Literature on targeted therapy for HCC from 2008 to 2022 was obtained from the Web of Science (WoS) and assessed using bibliometric methodology. Additionally, the VOS viewer was applied in the visualization study to conduct bibliographic coupling, co-authorship, co-citation, and co-occurrence analyses of publications. RESULTS: A total of 10,779 papers were subsequently selected. Over the past 15 years, there has been a progressive increase in the number of publications on an annualized basis. China released the most publications in the field, whereas the United States had the highest H-index. Cancers published the most papers. Fudan University had the greatest sway in this area. Studies could be divided into 5 clusters: "Gene and expression research," "Mechanism study," "Nanoparticle study," "Targeted drug research," and "Clinical study." CONCLUSIONS: In the upcoming years, more papers on targeted therapy for HCC are expected to be released, demonstrating the potential for this topic to flourish. Particularly, "Clinical study" is the following trendy topic in this field. Other research subfields may likewise exhibit a continuous tendency towards balanced development.

Case Report: Adult degenerative scoliosis in two patients treated with percutaneous spinal endoscopic-assisted lumbar interbody fusion and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation.

Adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS) is a serious disease that often affects middle-aged and elderly people. ADS does not only cause sagittal and coronal deformity of the lumbar spine but also causes severe back and leg pain secondary to the compression of the neural structures. Open surgery remains the main method for correcting the occurring deformity and decompression of the neural structures; however, its benefit is limited in cases of large trauma. Minimally invasive spinal (MIS) surgery is an alternative method that has recently witnessed rapid development. It has the advantage of providing rapid recovery with less trauma as compared to conventional open surgery. We report two cases of ADS treated with percutaneous spinal endoscopic-assisted lumbar interbody fusion (EALIF) and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. Both cases had moderate deformities of the lumbar spine (load-sharing classification 4-7 points) with severe back and leg pain, and they underwent successful MIS surgery. At 6 months of follow-up, the visual analog scale and Oswestry disability index scores of both patients improved and the deformity was corrected. For moderate ADS, percutaneous spinal EALIF and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation may achieve an effective correction of the deformity with direct decompression of neural structures.

The Role of P-Glycoprotein in Transport of Danshensu across the Blood-Brain Barrier.

Danshensu (3-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl) lactic acid), a water-soluble active component isolated from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, is widely used for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. The present study aims to investigate the role of P-glycoprotein in transport of Danshensu across the blood-brain barrier. Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with verapamil at a dose of 20 mg kg(-1) (verapamil group) or the same volume of normal saline (control group). Ninety minutes later, the animals were administrated with Danshensu (15 mg kg(-1)) by intravenous injection. At 15 min, 30 min, and 60 min after Danshensu administration, the levels of Danshensu in the blood and brain were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The results showed that Danshensu concentrations in the brain of the rats pretreated with verapamil were significantly increased. In addition, the brain-plasma ratios of the group pretreated with verapamil were much higher than that of the control group. There was no difference in Danshensu level in plasma between the verapamil group and control group. The findings indicated that Danshensu can pass the blood-brain barrier, and P-glycoprotein plays an important role in Danshensu transportation in brain.

[Technical approach and strategic plan for large-scale ecological and environmental gover-nance and national ecological security pattern construction.] / å¤§å°ºåº¦åŒºåŸŸç”Ÿæ€çŽ¯å¢ƒæ²»ç†åŠå›½å®¶ç”Ÿæ€å®‰å ¨æ ¼å±€æž„å»ºçš„æŠ€æœ¯é€”å¾„å’Œæˆ˜ç•¥å¸ƒå±€.

Terrestrial ecosystems are the core components of the biosphere, supporting human life, production and social and economic activities. With the development of human civilization and the progress of science and technology, the continued expanding resources utilization in terms of scale and intensity has caused environmental problems, including global climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, resource depletion and ecosystem degradation, which threaten the sustainable development of our society. The public expects ecological research providing scientific theories and systematic solutions for the utilization and protection of ecosystems at the continental and global scale, and the maintenance of sustainable development of human society as well. This study aimed to serve the ecological civilization construction in China, ecological security pattern construction, regional ecological and environmental governance, and the development of macrosystem ecology. We reviewed the effectiveness and experience of regional ecological and environmental governance in China, analyzed the scientific requirements and the characteristics of the times of China's eco-civilization construction towards large-scale ecological research, and proposed using a new philosophy, i.e., nature-based macroecosystem approach, to improve the ecological and environmental governance and ecological security pattern construction at the regional scale. Based on the above-mentioned expounding, we discussed the strategic plan, technical approaches and technological support system of large-scale ecological security pattern construction and ecological and environmental governance in China. This review could provide theoretical references for safe, healthy and beautiful land spatial construction and the progress of eco-civilization of China.

[A coordinated three-dimensional network for observing large-scale terrestrial ecosystem status changes and the consequences on resources and environment]. / å¤§å°ºåº¦é™†åœ°ç”Ÿæ€ç³»ç»ŸçŠ¶æ€å˜åŒ–åŠå ¶èµ„æºçŽ¯å¢ƒæ•ˆåº”çš„ç«‹ä½“åŒ–ååŒè”ç½‘è§‚æµ‹.

Co-driven by environmental change and human activity, global ecosystem has been experiencing rapid changes, with cascading effects on resources and environment. The changes of ecosystem status and its spatiotemporal evolution drivers, and the related resource and environmental effects have been recognized as the long standing topics of large-scale terrestrial ecosystem science. The coordinated observation networks distributed across different continents and the globe provide the valuable tools for observing and evaluating ecosystem state change, for revealing and elaborating mechanisms underlying ecosystem response, for cognizing and understanding ecosystem evolution, and for predicting and early-warning of ecosystem change. Committing to serving the continental-scale ecosystem science and supporting regional ecological environmental governance, this review first comprehensively analyzed the current status of ecological environment observation research networks, then proposed their development directions. This review advocated to develop a collaborative observation system with characteristics of multi-element, multi-interface, multi-medium, multi-process, multi-scale and multi-method, and to establish the new generation of continental ecosystem observation-experiment research network composed of high technology integration, regional distribution network, network management intellectualization, long-term observation & experiment, multi-functional model simulations, and remote data integration and resource sharing. We elaborated on the function orientation, design philosophy, design scheme, construction objectives and technical system of the research network. We hoped provide references for the development of terrestrial ecosystem observation network in China.

Manipulative experiments networks on response and adaptation of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental changes: Building the research methods and technology system.

The feedback relationship between organisms or ecosystems and environment has been a key issue in ecological research. Manipulative experiments with changing biological or environmental factors and large-scale field experiment networks were regarded as effective approaches to understand and accurately quantify the process and mechanisms underlying ecosystem response and adaptation to environmental changes. In recent years, a few networks have been developed, including large-scale networks of field physics simulation experiment (i.e., ECOTRON), ecosystem analysis and experiment platform (AnaEE), international Drought Network, Nutrient Network, and experiment networks based on regional ecological observation stations (i.e., USA-ILTER) at global scale. The development of continent-scale experiment network platform is attracting more attention from the academic community, and will play a more important role in understanding the process and mechanism underlying ecosystem responses to environmental change. We reviewed the development of method and experiment system of ecosystem manipulative experiments, and clearly pointed out that different experiments should form a joint collaborative system to answer fundamental scientific questions about the response and adaptation of ecosystem to global environment change. Manipulative experiments could be classified into four types: 1) Physiological and ecological experiments in closed laboratory equipment; 2) semi-open experiments with changing environmental factors in the field; 3) near-natural field experiments; 4) experiment networks based on field ecological station. Furthermore, we discussed the trends in network design of manipulative experiments focusing on ecosystem response and adaptation to environmental changes and the advantages of large-scale experiments based on natural environmental gradients. We put forward a proposal of integrating the technical advantages of different types of experiments and developing a new generation of field experiment network system. The study discussed the research system based on field experiment network, demonstrated the possibility to understand the patterns and mechanisms of the ecosystem short-term response and long-term adaptation to environmental changes, and proposed some equations to quantify the environmental response of ecosystems. The application of the design plan of the manipulative experiments network proposed here will greatly promote the scientific research level of ecosystems and environmental changes in China and even over the whole world, which has important scientific significance for the national response to climate change and ecological environmental construction.

Escin ameliorates the impairments of neurological function and blood brain barrier by inhibiting systemic inflammation in intracerebral hemorrhagic mice.

This study aims to investigate whether escin ameliorates the impairments of neurological function by ameliorating systemic inflammation instead of targeting the brain directly in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) mice. It showed that escin did not cross the blood brain barrier (BBB). Compared with the ICH group, the Garcia test scores in the escin groups were significantly increased. Brain water contents and Evans blue extravasation of the right basal ganglia in the ICH group were augmented, and significantly reduced by escin. Escin abated the increases of monocyte counts and serum IL-1ß levels induced by ICH. IL-1ß administration reversed the effect of escin on Garcia test scores, the brain water contents, and the Evans blue extravasation. Escin ameliorated the increasing levels of RhoA, ROCK1, nuclear NF-κB and the decreasing expression of IκBα, cytosolic NF-κB, occludin, claudin-5 in the ICH group. IL-1ß administration blocked not only escin-mediated increases of IκBα, cytosolic NF-κB, occludin, and claudin-5, but also escin-caused decreases of RhoA, ROCK1, and nuclear NF-κB. The results indicate that escin improves neurological outcomes and the BBB function in ICH mice, which is associated with attenuating ICH-induced peripheral system inflammation, and therefore, inhibiting IL-1ß/RhoA/NF-κB signaling pathway in BBB, at least in part. These findings suggest that it may be useful to ameliorate brain injury by inhibiting systemic inflammation instead of aiming to target the brain directly after ICH.

Comparative study of curative effect of spinal endoscopic surgery and anterior cervical decompression for cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of endoscopic cervical spinal surgery with anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). METHODS: A total of forty-six CSM patients who were admitted to the Medical School of Chinese PLA and treated with endoscopic spine surgery or ACDF from January 2015 to June 2017 were collected. The patients were divided into the spinal endoscopy group and the ACDF group, according to the operation methods. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and hospitalization stay of the two groups were recorded and compared. Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score before operation, three months, and one year after operation were recorded for intra-group and inter-group comparison. The improvement rates of JOA were compared between the two groups to evaluate the clinical efficacy. RESULTS: There were twenty-two cases in the spinal endoscopy group and twenty-four cases in the ACDF group. The mean operation lasting time, intraoperative blood loss and hospitalization stay in the spinal endoscopy group were significantly lower than those in the ACDF group (P<0.05). The postoperative JOA score of the two groups were significantly higher than those before the operation (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the JOA score before operation, three months and one year after operation between the two groups (P>0.05). The improvement rates in the spinal endoscopy group were not significantly different compared to those in the ACDF group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the excellent rate (81.8% vs. 83.3%) between the spinal endoscopy group and the ACDF group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The short-term efficacy of spinal endoscopic surgery and ACDF was equal in the treatment of CSM. The spinal endoscopic surgery was significantly superior to ACDF in reducing the operation time, the intraoperative blood loss and the hospitalization stay.

Effect of pulmonary vein isolation on atrial fibrillation recurrence after accessory pathway ablation in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Although successful ablation of the accessory pathway (AP) eliminates atrial fibrillation (AF) in some of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome and paroxysmal AF, in other patients it can recur. HYPOTHESIS: Whether adding pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) after successful AP ablation effectively prevents AF recurrence in patients with WPW syndrome is unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 160 patients (102 men, 58 women; mean age, 46 ± 14 years) with WPW syndrome and paroxysmal AF who underwent AP ablation, namely 103 (64.4%) undergoing only AP ablation (AP group) and 57 (35.6%) undergoing AP ablation plus PVI (AP + PVI group). Advanced interatrial block (IAB) was defined as a P-wave duration of >120 ms and biphasic (±) morphology in the inferior leads, using 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG). RESULTS: During the mean follow-up period of 30.9 ± 9.2 months (range, 3-36 months), 22 patients (13.8%) developed AF recurrence. The recurrence rate did not differ in patients in the AP + PVI group and AP group (15.5% vs 10.5%, respectively; P = .373). Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that PVI was not associated with the risk of AF recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-1.68; P = .380). In WPW patients with advanced IAB, the recurrence rate was lower in patients in the AP + PVI group vs the AP group (90% vs 33.3%, respectively; P = .032). CONCLUSIONS: PVI after successful AP ablation significantly reduced the AF recurrence rate in WPW patients with advanced IAB. Screening of a resting 12-lead ECG immediately after AP ablation helps identify patients in whom PVI is beneficial.

[Multi-temporal scale analysis of impacts of extreme high temperature on net carbon uptake in subtropical coniferous plantation.] / 极端高温对亚热带人工针叶林净碳吸收影响的多时间尺度分析.

Extreme high temperature is one of important extreme weathers that impact forest ecosystem carbon cycle. In this study, applying CO2 flux and routine meteorological data measured during 2003-2012, we examined the impacts of extreme high temperature and extreme high temperature event on net carbon uptake of subtropical coniferous plantation in Qianyanzhou. Combining with wavelet analysis, we analyzed environmental controls on net carbon uptake at different temporal scales, when the extreme high temperature and extreme high temperature event happened. The results showed that mean daily cumulative NEE decreased by 51% in the days with daily maximum air temperature range between 35 ℃ and 40 ℃, compared with that in the days with the range between 30 ℃ and 34 ℃. The effects of the extreme high temperature and extreme high temperature event on monthly NEE and annual NEE related to the strength and duration of extreme high tempe-rature event. In 2003, when strong extreme high temperature event happened, the sum of monthly cumulative NEE in July and August was only -11.64 g C·m-2·(2 month)-1. The value decreased by 90%, compared with multi-year average value. At the same time, the relative variation of annual NEE reached -6.7%. In July and August, when the extreme high temperature and extreme high temperature event occurred, air temperature (Ta) and vapor press deficit (VPD) were the dominant controller for the daily variation of NEE. The coherency between NEE Ta and NEE VPD was 0.97 and 0.95, respectively. At 8-, 16-, and 32-day periods, Ta, VPD, soil water content at 5 cm depth (SWC), and precipitation (P) controlled NEE. The coherency between NEE SWC and NEE P was higher than 0.8 at monthly scale. The results indicated that atmospheric water deficit impacted NEE at short temporal scale, when the extreme high temperature and extreme high temperature event occurred, both of atmospheric water deficit and soil drought stress impacted NEE at long temporal scales in this ecosystem.

Paeonol protects endotoxin-induced acute kidney injury: potential mechanism of inhibiting TLR4-NF-κB signal pathway.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In order to determine the therapeutic effect and mechanism of paeonol on acute kidney injury induced by endotoxin, an acute kidney injury model was established by intraperitoneal administration of lipopolysaccharide in mice in vivo and on LPS-induced dendritic cells in vitro. Renal tissues were used for histologic examination. Concentrations of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were detected, inflammatory cytokines were determined by ELISA. The relative proteins' expression of TLR4-NF-κB signal pathway was assessed by Western blot, the localization and expression of phospho-NF-κB p65 in kidney was monitored by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Treatment of paeonol successfully cuts histopathological scores and dilutes the concentrations of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine as index of renal injury severity. In addition, paeonol reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines and increases anti-inflammatory cytokines stimulated by LPS in a dose-dependent manner. Paeonol also inhibits the expression of phosphorylated NF-κB p65, IκBα and IKKß, and restrains NF-κB p65 DNA-binding activity. Paeonol treatment also attenuates the effects of LPS on dendritic cells, with significant inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines release, then TLR4 expression and NF-κB signal pathway have been suppressed. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that paeonol has protective effects on endotoxin-induced kidney injury. The mechanisms underlying such effects are associated with its successfully attenuate inflammatory and suppresses TLR4 and NF-κB signal pathway. Therefore, paeonol has great potential to be a novel and natural product agent for treating AKI or septic-AKI.

[Simulation and validation of diffuse radiation in Qianyanzhou area, Jiangxi, China].

Accurate estimation of diffuse radiation is of great significance for evaluating its effect on terrestrial ecosystem carbon exchange. Based on the observed diffuse radiation data in the meteorological observation field in mid-subtropical Qianyanzhou, Jiangxi, China from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013, the simulated results of five widely used diffuse radiation decomposition models (Reindl-1, Reindl-2, Reindl-3, Boland, BRL) were validated. The results indicated that, on the 30 min scale, all of the five models could well simulate the diffuse radiation of this area overall. But the effect of models decreased significantly with the rising of clearness index (kt). Especially when kt>0.75, each model was.unable to simulate diffuse radiation in the region. Regarding the simulation of seasonal change of diffuse radiation, the five models could simulate diffuse radiation well in most months. Relative deviation between simulated and observed values of yearly diffuse radiation of five models had a maximum of 7.1% (BRL), a minimum of 0.04% (Reindl-1), and an average of 3.6%. The simulated values of the five models appeared to be overestimated in the summer when radiation was strongest, temperature was highest, and precipitation was relatively low. For example, in July, the diffuse radiation was overestimated by 14.5%-28.2%, 21.2% on average. This was primarily due to the. method of estimating diffuse radiation under the condition of high kt. The uncertainty requires further evaluation in the model application. Considering the results of validation, simulation precision and the accessibility of input variables, the order of the simulation performance of five models was BRL>Reindl-3>Reindl-2>Reindl-1 >Boland.

[Comparative observation of diffuse radiation in Qianyanzhou during the spring of 2012].

Global radiation and diffuse radiation were measured from March to June of 2012 in Qianyanzhou Experimental Station of Red Soil and Hilly Land, Chinese Academy of Sciences by ising three types of pyranometers, including CMP11 attached with a shadow ring, SPN1 and RSR3, which were placed in parallel. The observations showed that both global radiation and diffuse radiation measured by these pyranometers had a good linear correlation. The global radiation measured by SPN1 and RSR3 was respectively 3. 0% and 20.5% lower than that measured by the CMP 11. The diffuse radiation measured by SPN1 and RSR3. was respectively 5.5% and 7.9% lower of than that measured by the CMP11. Under the sunny, cloudy and overcast conditions, the daily variations of diffuse radiation measured by the three pyranometers were similar, and hence, the diffuse radiation values at a specific solar elevation angle measured by the different pyranometers were also similar. There was difference in daily accumulative diffuse radiation measured by the different pyranometers. Monthly diffuse fractions of March, April and May were 0.56, 0.59 and 0.70, respectively. In the subtropical area of southern China, the diffuse radiation accounted for a relatively large proportion of the global solar radiation and varied considerably over time. It is necessary to conduct long-term continuous measurements to capture the variability of diffuse radiation over different underlying surfaces.