Exceptional Entanglement Phenomena: Non-Hermiticity Meeting Nonclassicality.

Non-Hermitian (NH) extension of quantum-mechanical Hamiltonians represents one of the most significant advancements in physics. During the past two decades, numerous captivating NH phenomena have been revealed and demonstrated, but all of which can appear in both quantum and classical systems. This leads to the fundamental question: what NH signature presents a radical departure from classical physics? The solution of this problem is indispensable for exploring genuine NH quantum mechanics, but remains experimentally untouched so far. Here, we resolve this basic issue by unveiling distinct exceptional entanglement phenomena, exemplified by an entanglement transition, occurring at the exceptional point of NH interacting quantum systems. We illustrate and demonstrate such purely quantum-mechanical NH effects with a naturally dissipative light-matter system, engineered in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture. Our results lay the foundation for studies of genuinely quantum-mechanical NH physics, signified by exceptional-point-enabled entanglement behaviors.

Combined Metabolomics with Transcriptomics Reveals Important Serum Biomarkers Correlated with Lung Cancer Proliferation through a Calcium Signaling Pathway.

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most malignant cancers in the world, but currently, it lacks effective noninvasive biomarkers to assist its early diagnosis. Our study aims to discover potential serum diagnostic biomarkers for LC. In our study, untargeted serum metabolomics of a discovery cohort and targeted analysis of a test cohort were performed based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were employed to screen for differential metabolites between LC and healthy control (HC), followed by the selection of candidate biomarkers through multiple algorithms. The results showed that 15 metabolites were significantly dysregulated between LC and HC, and a panel, comprising cholesterol, oleic acid, myo-inositol, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid, was demonstrated to have excellent differentiating capability for LC based on multiple classification modelings. In addition, the molecular interaction analysis combined with transcriptomics revealed a close correlation between the candidate biomarkers and LC proliferation via a Ca2+ signaling pathway. Our study discovered that cholesterol, oleic acid, myo-inositol, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid in combination could be a promising diagnostic biomarker for LC, and most importantly, our results will shed some light on the pathophysiological mechanism underlying LC to understand it deeply. The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in MetaboLights at https://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights/, reference number MTBLS1517.

Rapidly Progressing Fatal Left Ventricular Pseudoaneurysm After Acute Myocardial Infarction - A Case Report of Delayed Diagnosis.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVPA) is a rare complication of acute myocardial infarction (MI). As pseudoaneurysm is contained by the pericardium alone without involvement of myocardial tissue, LVPA are more prone to rupture and hence necessitates surgical intervention. We report a case of a 60-year-old man with acute MI due to a three-way occlusion in the coronary arteries. An emergency transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) on the 11th day after the MI showed a small ventricular aneurysm, which was probably a late complication of the acute MI episode. A repeat TTE on the 26th day of the MI episode revealed a rapidly progressing LVPA. Emergency heart surgery was planned, but the patient died due to LVPA rupture. This case illustrates timely diagnosis and corrective surgery are key to saving patients from fatal LVPAs.

Loeffler's group 2 cor triatriatum sinistrum with mobile left atrial thrombus - a case report and literature review.

We report a case of a 25-year-old man diagnosed with an unusual case of cor triatriatum sinister with a mobile left atrial thrombus. He was hospitalised with aggravating dyspnoea. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a membrane-like structure traversing the left atrial and a small orifice of about 7.1 mm. The mean pressure gradient was 12.94 mmHg across the orifice of the membrane-like structure and there was a mobile mass in the post-erosuperior chamber. The anomaly was rectified by a surgical resection. Timely diagnosis and surgical repair may prevent stroke in patients with unusual cor triatriatum sinister.

Transanal fistulectomy for postoperative persistent rectourethral fistula in patients with ARM: is simple resection enough?

BACKGROUND: Postoperative rectourethral fistula (RUF) in patients with congenital anorectal malformation (ARM) remains a challenge for paediatric surgeons, among them persistent fistula is the most common. Various techniques have been proposed, only a few reports based on different causes are available, and there is no consensus so far. This study is to evaluate the application, advantages and limitations of transanal fistulectomy approach in repairing persistent RUF in ARM patients. METHODS: From January 2007 to July 2019, 78 ARM patients who received revisional surgery for RUF were reviewed, 34 persistent fistulas were identified. Examination under anaesthesia included patients with fistulas that were located within 3 cm from the anus verge, good appearance of the anus and sphincter function, and no urethral and rectoanal obstruction. Three patients were excluded because of complex urologic pathologic defects. In total, thirty-one patients underwent transanal fistulectomy to repair RUF. RESULTS: All cases were approached with transanal incision and fistulectomy to repair RUF. The average operative time was 91 ± 35 min. At a minimum six-month follow-up, 29 patients healed after the first attempt, the success closure rate was 93.5%. Two patients received redo transanal fistulectomy and healed. Two patients had postoperative complications: one patient had urethral stenosis and it was managed by dilation; one patient had urethral diverticulum but it did not require revisional surgery. No patient in this study was incontinent because of the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Transanal fistulectomy provides a simple, straightforward, and safe approach to repair persistent RUF in ARM patients, especially in those with a low-lying fistula, good anus appearance and sphincter function without obstruction in the rectum or urethra. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered.

Deterministic Entanglement Swapping in a Superconducting Circuit.

Entanglement swapping, the process to entangle two particles without coupling them in any way, is one of the most striking manifestations of the quantum-mechanical nonlocal characteristic. Besides fundamental interest, this process has applications in complex entanglement manipulation and quantum communication. Here we report a high-fidelity, unconditional entanglement swapping experiment in a superconducting circuit. The measured concurrence characterizing the qubit-qubit entanglement produced by swapping is above 0.75, confirming most of the entanglement of one qubit with its partner is deterministically transferred to another qubit that has never interacted with it. We further realize delayed-choice entanglement swapping, showing whether two qubits previously behaved as in an entangled state or as in a separable state is determined by a later choice of the type of measurement on their partners. This is the first demonstration of entanglement-separability duality in a deterministic way.

Liver stiffness measurement predicts the difficulty of Kasai procedure in biliary atresia: a single center retrospective analysis of 199 patients.

BACKGROUND: Kasai procedure is the standard initial treatment of infants with biliary atresia. The key to perform a successful surgery is to accurately remove the fibrous portal plate near the liver hilum. Yet how to estimate surgical difficulty pre-operatively remains unclear. This study aims to design an algorithm that predicts the difficulty of Kasai procedure using liver stiffness measurement (LSM). METHODS: One hundred ninety-nine patients were included from April 2012 to December 2016. The patients were all surgically diagnosed with biliary atresia. Group A comprised of patients with porta hepatis retraction (the angle between the plane of the fibrous porta plate and the plane of the medial liver closest to the plate was equal to or smaller than 90°), group B comprised of patients without porta hepatis retraction (the angle between the plane of the fibrous porta plate and the plane of the medial liver closest to the plate was greater than 90°). Liver function measurements and LSM were measured for all patients within three days before surgery. RESULTS: Our study included 19 cases in group A (9 males, 10 females) and 180 cases in group B (87 males, 93 females). LSM had statistical differences between the two groups, 28.10(14.90) kPa VS 10.89(7.10) kPa, P = 0.000. There was a significant relationship between LSM and operative age, TBA, AST, GGT (P = 0.000, 0.003, 0.003, 0.012, correlation coefficient = 0.323, 0.213, 0.207, 0.179). The AUROC of LSM was 0.919. When the cutoff value was 15.15 kPa(OR = 3.989; P = 0.000), the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy were 0.947, 0.750, 0.285, 0.992 and 0.768, respectively. When the value was 23.75 kPa(OR = 3.483; P = 0.000), the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy were 0.631, 0.950, 0.571, 0.960 and 0.919, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LSM can be used to predict the difficulty in dissecting fibrous portal plate, and in turn, the difficulty of Kasai procedure. LSM > 23.75 kPa suggests a more complicated surgery.

Effects of farmland residual mulch film-derived microplastics on the structure and function of soil and earthworm Metaphire guillelmi gut microbiota.

Microplastics derived from polyethylene (PE) mulch films are widely found in farmland soils and present considerable potential threats to agricultural soil ecosystems. However, the influence of microplastics derived from PE mulch films, especially those derived from farmland residual PE mulch films, on soil ecosystems remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial communities attached to farmland residual transparent PE mulch film (FRMF) collected from peanut fields and the different ecological effects of unused PE mulch film-derived microplastics (MPs) and FRMF-derived microplastics (MPs-aged) on the soil and earthworm Metaphire guillelmi gut microbiota, functional traits, and co-occurrence patterns. The results showed that the assembly and functional patterns of the bacterial communities attached to the FRMF were clearly distinct from those in the surrounding farmland soil, and the FRMF enriched some potential plastic-degrading and pathogenic bacteria, such as Nocardioidaceae, Clostridiaceae, Micrococcaceae, and Mycobacteriaceae. MPs substantially influenced the assembly and functional traits of soil bacterial communities; however, they only significantly changed the functional traits of earthworm gut bacterial communities. MPs-aged considerably affected the assembly and functional traits of both soil and earthworm gut bacterial communities. Notably, MPs had a more remarkable effect on nitrogen-related functions than the MPs-aged in numbers for both soil and earthworm gut samples. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that both MPs and MPs-aged enhanced the synergistic interactions among operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of the composition networks for all samples. For community functional networks, MPs and MPs-aged enhanced the antagonistic interactions for soil samples; however, they exhibited contrasting effects for earthworm gut samples, as MPs enhanced the synergistic interactions among the functional contents. These findings broaden and deepen our understanding of the effects of FRMF-derived microplastics on soil ecosystems, suggesting that the harmful effects of aged plastics on the ecological environment should be considered.

Feasibility study of semiconductor sequencing for noninvasive prenatal detection of fetal aneuploidy.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive prenatal detection of common fetal aneuploidies with cell-free DNA from maternal plasma has been achieved with high-throughput next-generation sequencing platforms. Turnaround times for previously tested platforms are still unsatisfactory for clinical applications, however, because of the time spent on sequencing. The development of semiconductor sequencing technology has provided a way to shorten overall run times. We studied the feasibility of using semiconductor sequencing technology for the noninvasive detection of fetal aneuploidy. METHODS: Maternal plasma DNA from 13 pregnant women, corresponding to 4 euploid, 6 trisomy 21 (T21), 2 trisomy 18 (T18), and 1 trisomy 13 (T13) pregnancies, were sequenced on the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine sequencer platform with 318 chips. The data were analyzed with the T statistic method after correcting for GC bias, and the T value was calculated as an indicator of fetal aneuploidy. RESULTS: We obtained a mean of 3 524 401 high-quality reads per sample, with an efficiency rate of 77.9%. All of the T21, T13, and T18 fetuses could be clearly distinguished from euploid fetuses, and the time spent on library preparation and sequencing was 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: Semiconductor sequencing represents a suitable technology for the noninvasive prenatal detection of fetal aneuploidy. With this platform, sequencing times can be substantially reduced; however, a further larger-scale study is needed to determine the imprecision of noninvasive fetal aneuploidy detection with this system.

COVID-19 lockdown has indirect, non-equivalent effects on activity patterns of Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and sympatric species.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought massive shifts in human activities through a global blockade, directly affecting wildlife survival. However, the indirect impacts of changes in human activities are often easily overlooked. We conducted surveys of Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and its sympatric species by camera traps in forest-type nature reserves in three different scenarios: pre-lockdown, lockdown and post-lockdown. An increase in livestock activities observed during the lockdown and post-lockdown period in our study area provided us an opportunity to investigate the indirect impact of the lockdown on wildlife. The pre-lockdown period was used as a baseline to compare any changes in trends of relative abundance index, activity patterns and temporal spacing of targeted species and livestock. During the lockdown period, the relative abundance index of livestock increased by 50% and there was an increase in daytime activity. Reeves's Pheasant showed avoidance responses to almost all sympatric species and livestock in three different periods, and the livestock avoidance level of Reeves's Pheasant during the lockdown period was significantly and positively correlated with the relative abundance index of livestock. Species-specific changes in activity patterns of study species were observed, with reduced daytime activities of Hog Badger and Raccoon Dog during and after the confinement periods. This study highlights the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the responses of wildlife by considering the changes in their temporal and spatial use before, during and after lockdown. The knowledge gained on wildlife during reduced human mobility because of the pandemic aids in understanding the effect of human disturbances and developing future conservation strategies in the shared space, to manage both wildlife and livestock.

Polyethylene mulch film-derived microplastics enhance the bioaccumulation of atrazine in two earthworm species (Eisenia fetida and Metaphire guillelmi) via carrier effects.

Microplastics (MPs) may significantly affect the bioavailability of coexisting pollutants in soil by adsorption-desorption behavior. However, the mechanisms underlying these interaction remain unclear. Herein, the influence of unused polythylene mulch film-derived MPs (MFMPs) and farmland residual polyethylene mulch film-derived MPs (MFMPs-aged) on the adsorption-desorption behavior and bioavailability of atrazine (ATZ) in soil were investigated. The adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms of ATZ on soil, MFMPs, and MFMPs-aged fitted well by the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, respectively. ATZ were easier to desorb from soil, MFMPs, and MFMPs-aged in the simulated earthworm digestive fluid than that in the CaCl2 solution. The adsorption and desorption capacities of MFMPs and MFMPs-aged for ATZ were higher than those of soil, especially for MFMPs-aged. The existence of MPs in soil strengthened the adsorption and desorption capacities of ATZ, and the strengthened effects were promoted by the addition amount and aging process of MPs. Moreover, the occurrence of MPs significantly increased the bioaccumulation of ATZ in earthworms, especially for MFMPs-aged. This study deepens the knowledge of the interaction mechanisms of mulch film-derived MPs and pesticide pollution.

Rice OsHsp16.9A interacts with OsHsp101 to confer thermotolerance.

Class I small heat shock proteins (CI sHSPs), OsHsp16.9A and OsHsp18.0, share 74% identity in amino acid sequences and accumulate in response to heat shock treatments. Individual rice transformants overexpressing OsHsp16.9A and OsHsp18.0 exhibit distinct thermoprotection/thermotolerance modes. Under high temperature stress, OsHsp16.9A-overexpressing lines showed higher seed germination rate, seedling survival, and pollen germination than wild-type controls, while OsHsp18.0 overexpression provided higher thermoprotection/thermotolerance for seedling survival. To elucidate the functional roles of OsHsp16.9A, mass spectrometry was used to identify OsHsp16.9A-interacting proteins. OsHsp101 was consistently identified in the OsHsp16.9A protein complex in several mass spectrometry analyses of seed proteins from OsHsp16.9A-overexpressing lines. Both OsHsp16.9A and OsHsp101 proteins accumulated during similar developmental stages of rice seeds and formed a heat-stable complex under high temperature treatments in in vitro assays. Co-localization of OsHsp16.9A and OsHsp101 was observed via ratiometric bimolecular fluorescence complementation analyses. Amino acid mutation studies revealed that OsHsp16.9A glutamate residue 74 and amino acid residues 23-36 were essential for OsHsp16.9A-OsHsp101 interaction. Moreover, overexpressing OsHsp16.9A in OsHsp101 knockdown mutants did not increase the seed germination rate under heat stress, which further confirmed the functional roles of OsHsp16.9A-OsHsp101 interaction in conferring thermotolerance to rice plants.

Combined metabolomics with transcriptomics reveals potential plasma biomarkers correlated with non-small-cell lung cancer proliferation through the Akt pathway.

BACKGROUND: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the main types of lung cancer. Due to lack of effective biomarkers for early detection of NSCLC, the therapeutic effect is not ideal. This study aims to reveal potential biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. METHODS: The plasma metabolic profiles of the patients were characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Differential metabolites were screened by p less than 0.05 and VIP greater than 1. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to search for potential biomarkers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictors of potential biomarkers. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed on metabolomics data by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and transcriptomics data from GEO were used for validation. RESULTS: A plasma metabolite biomarker panel including 13(S)-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13(S)-HODE) and arachidonic acid was chose. The area under the ROC curve were 0.917, 0.900 and 0.867 for the panel in the different algorithm like Partial Least Squares Discrimination Analysis (PLS-DA), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF). The candidate biomarkers were associated with the Akt pathway. Genes involved in the biological pathway had significant changes in the expression levels. CONCLUSION: 13(S)-HODE and arachidonic acid may be potential biomarkers of NSCLC. The Akt pathway was associated with this biomarker panel in NSCLC. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms of disruption in this pathway.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell lung carcinoma: A case report and literature review.

The benefit of immunochemotherapy in treating resectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not well established. Here, we report a case of resectable stage III NSCLC treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy before surgery. A 61 years old man was admitted to our hospital due to paroxysmal cough and was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma T4N2M0 in the upper lobe of the right lung, which was locally advanced and resectable. He was treated with 3 courses of paclitaxel 250 mg intravenous (IV), carboplatin 0.65 g IV, and durvalumab 620 mg IV followed by thoracoscopic upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection. There was considerable regression of the tumor before surgery, and the patient achieved a complete pathological response after surgery. Our case study demonstrates the benefit of durvalumab and chemotherapy in the treatment of resectable locally advanced NSCLC.

Acquired Rectourethral and Rectovaginal Fistulas in Children: A Systematic Review.

Background: Acquired rectourethral (RUF) or rectovaginal fistulas (RVF) in children are rare conditions in pediatric surgery. Prior literature are retrospective studies and based on a small number of patients. The managements and outcomes vary widely across different studies. No standard or recommended management has been universally adopted. The goal was to systematically summarize different causes, provide an overlook of current clinical trend and to derive recommendation from the literature regarding the etiology, managements, and outcomes of pediatric acquired RUF and RVF. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane databases were searched using terms: rectourethral fistula, recto-urethral fistula, urethrorectal fistula, urethro-rectal fistula, rectovaginal fistula. All studies were retrospective, in English, and included patients under the age of 18 years. Any series with congenital cases, adult (>18 years), <2 fistula cases less and obstetric related causes were excluded. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed. Results: Of the 531 records identified, 26 articles with 163 patients (63 RUF and 100RVF) were fully analyzed. Most RUF resulted from trauma, most RVF were from infection of HIV. About 92 patients underwent 1 of 3 categories of definitive repair, including transanal (4.3%), trans-sphincteric (48.9%), and transperineal (30.4%). Tissue interposition flaps were used in 37.6% patients, while temporary fecal diversions were used in 63.9% patients. Fistula was successfully closed in 50.3% patients (98.4% RUF and 20% RVF). 89.1 and 79.7 % of surgical repair patients had optimal fecal and urinary functions, respectively. In the inflammatory bowel disease and HIV infection related RVF patient group, the closure rate was prohibitive poor. Conclusions: Most RVF are a sign of systematic diseases like HIV-infection or IBD and are associated with poor general conditions. While conservative treatment is recommended, stable patients can benefit from surgery. Further investigation is recommended if RVF are encountered without trauma or surgical history. RUF are likely to result from trauma or surgery, and transperineal or trans-sphincter approach can lead to closure and optimal function results. Fecal diversion and/or urinary diversion are helpful in some cases, while interposition technique may not be necessary. An objective scoring system for long-term follow-up and reporting consensus is needed to address treatment inconsistence.

Outdoor benzene highly impacts indoor concentrations globally.

Benzene is a carcinogen. Exposure to benzene severely threatens people's health. While its indoor sources such as paint and solvent have been tightly regulated as a result of its inclusion into indoor air standards globally, its outdoor emission from traffic and industry is less addressed. Since human's exposure to benzene mainly occurs indoors, how outdoor benzene affects indoor concentrations is a critical issue, but not well discussed yet. This study summarized 118 pairs of outdoor-indoor measurement of benzene concentrations mainly published in the past five years. We found that the outdoor benzene concentrations measured in developing countries exceed 5 µg/m3, an annual concentration limit recommended by Europe Union, more often than developed ones. It implies a worse benzene pollution situation in the developing places, probably due to strong emission from traffic and industry. The outdoor/indoor concentration ratio is 0.69 and 0.84 for the developing and developed places, respectively. It indicates a significant, if not dominant, role of outdoor benzene in formulating indoor concentrations over indoor sources. Controlling outdoor benzene emission is therefore highlighted. Actions should be taken to regulate benzene emission sources such as traffic and industry. This is particularly urgent to protect occupants in buildings close to roads and factories.

Foaming of Oils: Effect of Poly(dimethylsiloxanes) and Silica Nanoparticles.

Foaming of oils often confronts researchers in food, cosmetics, and petrochemical industries. Destabilization or stabilization of nonaqueous foams is fundamentally crucial for process control and product quality. Antifoams can be a useful method to control excessive foams. Nonetheless, the foaming mechanisms and the selection criteria of the most common antifoam, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) oils, are not thoroughly discussed. The study of inorganic colloidal particles as foam stabilizers has drawn particular attention over the past years practically and academically, yet only a small part of literature focuses on nonaqueous foams. For these reasons, we have studied the effects of PDMS oils and silica nanoparticles on the foaming of oils. We find that the performance of silicone oils as crude oil antifoams is firmly related to PDMS viscosity and crude oil composition presumably because the solubilization of PDMS oils in hydrocarbons reduces with increasing viscosity of the polymers and the hydrocarbons. The findings also illustrate that nanoparticle hydrophobicity and concentration are the primary factors for the foam stabilization effect.

Cloning of a putative hypersensitive induced reaction gene from wheat infected by stripe rust fungus.

The hypersensitive response (HR) is one of the most efficient forms of plant defense against biotrophic pathogens and results in localized cell death and the formation of necrotic lesions. In this study, a novel putative hypersensitive induced reaction (HIR) gene from wheat leaves infected by incompatible stripe rust pathogen CY23, designated as Ta-hir1, was identified by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Ta-hir1 encodes 284 amino acids, with a predicted molecular mass of 31.31 KDa. A phylogenetic analysis showed that Ta-hir1 was highly homologous to Hv-hir1 from barley at both cDNA and deduced amino-acid levels. Amino-acid sequence analysis of the wheat HIR protein indicated the presence of the SPFH (Stomatins, Prohibitins, Flotillins and HflK/C) protein domain typical for stomatins which served as a negative regulator of univalent cation permeability, especially for potassium. The expression profile of the Ta-hir1 transcript detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (real time-PCR), respectively, showed that the highest expression occurred 48 h post inoculation (hpi), which is consistent with our previous histopathology observations during the stripe rust fungus-wheat incompatible reaction.

Effects of long-term fertilization practices on heavy metal cadmium accumulation in the surface soil and rice plants of double-cropping rice system in Southern China.

Fertilizer regime is playing an important role in heavy metal cadmium (Cd) accumulation in paddy soils and crop plant. It is necessary to assess the Cd accumulation in soils and rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants under long-term fertilization managements, and the results which help to assess the environmental and food risk in Southern China. However, the effects of different organic manure and chemical fertilizers on Cd accumulation in soils and rice plant remain unclear under intensively cultivated rice conditions. Therefore, the objective was to explore Cd accumulation in paddy soils and rice plant at mature stage under different long-term fertilization managements in the double-cropping rice system. Cd accumulation in the surface soils (0-20 cm) and rice plant with chemical fertilizer alone (MF), rice straw residue and chemical fertilizer (RF), 30% organic matter and 70% chemical fertilizer (LOM), 60% organic matter and 40% chemical fertilizer (HOM), and without fertilizer input (CK) basis on 32 years long-term fertilization experiment were analyzed. The results showed that the soil total Cd content was increased by 0.296 and 0.351 mg kg-1 and 0.261 and 0.340 mg kg-1 under LOM and HOM treatments at early and late rice mature stages, respectively, compared with the CK treatment. And the soil available Cd content was increased by 0.073 and 0.137 mg kg-1 and 0.102 and 0.160 mg kg-1 under LOM and HOM treatments at early and late rice mature stages, respectively, compared with the CK treatment. The bioconcentration factor of Cd across different parts of rice plant was the highest in root, followed by stem and grain, and the lowest in leaves. At early and late rice mature stages, the root Cd concentration of rice plant was increased by 0.689 and 0.608 mg kg-1 with HOM treatment, the stem Cd concentration of rice plant was increased by 0.666 and 0.758 mg kg-1 with RF treatment, and the leaf and grain Cd concentration of rice plant was increased 0.094 and 0.082 mg kg-1 and 0.086 and 0.083 mg kg-1 with LOM treatment, respectively, compared with the CK treatment. The soil Cd single-factor contaminant index (PCd) under different fertilization treatments was as the following HOM > LOM > RF > MF > CK. Meanwhile, the PCd with LOM and HOM treatments was higher than that of the MF, RF, and CK treatments, but there is no significant difference between that of MF and RF treatments. Therefore, long-term application of rice straw residue and chemical fertilizer had no obvious effect on the accumulation of Cd in paddy soils and grain, and soil Cd accumulation was increased as application of organic fertilizer.

Involvement of the insular nitric oxide signaling pathway in the expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference in rats.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been recently reported to play an important role in the rewarding effects of addictive drugs. The regional NO signaling in the brain, however, is not completely clear. Here, we studied the effects of insular NO signaling on the expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Insular microinjection of the NO inhibitors N-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and 7-nitroindazole reduced the expression of morphine-induced CPP. The NO donor molsidomine, in contrast, reversed L-NAME-induced reduction of CPP expression. These results suggest that insular NO signaling is involved in the expression of morphine-CPP.