Characteristics of spring maize sap flow and its environmental influencing factors in typical mollisol area.

Clarifying the variations of sap flow rate of spring maize in the typical mollisol area and its main control factors is of great significance to explore water consumption from transpiration and regulate field water management. In this study, we installed the wrapped sap flow sensors and TDR probes to continuously monitor the sap flow rate of spring maize during filling-maturity stage and soil water and heat conditions of topsoil. In combination with meteorological data collecting from a nearby automatic weather station, we analyzed the correlation between the sap flow rate of spring maize and environmental factors at different time scales. The results showed that the sap flow rate of spring maize in typical mollisol area had an obvious fluctuation of high diurnal and low nighttime. The instantaneous sap flow rate peaked at daytime, with a value of 139.9 g·h-1, but being weak at nighttime. The starting time, closing time, and peak values of spring maize sap flow were significantly inhibited in cloudy and rainy days, compared with that in sunny days. On hourly scale, the sap flow rate was significantly correlated to solar radiation, saturated vapor pressure deficit (VPD), relative humidity, air temperature, and wind speed. On daily scale, only solar radiation, VPD, and relative humidity were significantly correlated with sap flow rate, with the absolute values of correlation coefficient being all above 0.7. Due to high soil water content during the observation period, the sap flow rate was not significantly correlated with soil water content and soil temperature of 0-20 cm layer, with the absolute values of correlation coefficient being less than 0.1. Under the condition without water stress, solar radiation, VPD, and relative humidity were the top three influencing factors of sap flow rate in this region, on both hourly scale and daily scale.

Evaluation of an e-Learning Breastfeeding Program for Postpartum Mothers of Moderately High-Risk Newborn Infants Admitted to the Special Care Nursery.

Because of a lack of proper breastfeeding education to mothers and the visitation policy in the special care nursery, breastfeeding initiation and maintenance can be very challenging for both the mother and her infant who is admitted to the neonatal special care nursery after birth. Difficulties associated with forming initial bonds may contribute to some mothers changing their mind about their initially chosen feeding method. The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an e-learning breastfeeding program on maternal breastfeeding outcomes. Thirty-four mothers in the comparison group received routine care; 34 in the intervention group received an e-learning breastfeeding program and routine care. The program included 28 modules of different topics downloaded to a personal tablet computer. Each module elaborated on a breastfeeding issue and provided video clips to show practice steps. During the mothers' 3- to 5-day stay in the postpartum unit, they could repeatedly watch selected topics related to their situations at their own pace. After adjusting for each infant's birth weight, mothers in the intervention group had better attachment to their infants, greater perceived nurse support, and a higher exclusive breastfeeding rate than mothers in the comparison group. Using a tablet computer device to disseminate breastfeeding education is a feasible and supplemental method for postpartum mothers whose infants are in the special care nursery. Through the demonstrated situations, mothers are better prepared to understand their high-risk infants and the situations they may encounter during breastfeeding.

Analysis of hospitalization costs related to fall injuries in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: With the aging world population, the incidence of falls has intensified and fall-related hospitalization costs are increasing. Falls are one type of event studied in the health economics of patient safety, and many developed countries have conducted such research on fall-related hospitalization costs. However, China, a developing country, still lacks large-scale studies in this area. AIM: To investigate the factors related to the hospitalization costs of fall-related injuries in elderly inpatients and establish factor-based, cost-related groupings. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. Patient information and cost data for elderly inpatients (age ≥ 60 years, n = 3362) who were hospitalized between 2016 and 2019 due to falls was collected from the medical record systems of two grade-A tertiary hospitals in China. Quantile regression (QR) analysis was used to identify the factors related to fall-related hospitalization costs. A decision tree model based on the chi-squared automatic interaction detector algorithm for hospitalization cost grouping was built by setting the factors in the regression results as separation nodes. RESULTS: The total hospitalization cost of fall-related injuries in the included elderly patients was 180479203.03 RMB, and the reimbursement rate of medical benefit funds was 51.0% (92039709.52 RMB/180479203.03 RMB). The medical material costs were the highest component of the total hospitalization cost, followed (in order) by drug costs, test costs, treatment costs, integrated medical service costs and blood transfusion costs The QR results showed that patient age, gender, length of hospital stay, payment method, wound position, wound type, operation times and operation type significantly influenced the inpatient cost (P < 0.05). The cost grouping model was established based on the QR results, and age, length of stay, operation type, wound position and wound type were the most important influencing factors in the model. Furthermore, the cost of each combination varied significantly. CONCLUSION: Our grouping model of hospitalization costs clearly reflected the key factors affecting hospitalization costs and can be used to strengthen the reasonable control of these costs.

Proposal of Lactobacillus kosoi Chiou et al. 2018 as a later heterotypic synonym of Lactobacillus micheneri McFrederick et al. 2018, elevation of Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. argentoratensis to the species level as Lactobacillus argentoratensis sp. nov., and Lactobacillus zhaodongensis sp. nov., isolated from traditional Chinese pickle and the intestinal tract of a honey bee (Apis mellifera).

Lactobacillus kosoi Chiou et al. 2018 and Lactobacillus micheneri McFrederick et al. 2018 are closely related, and they share 100 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 99.6 % pheS gene sequence similarity, 100 % rpoA gene sequence similarity, 97.3 % average nucleotide identity (ANI) value and 76.6 % in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH) value, indicating that they represent the same species. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) analysis and phenotypic characterization also indicated that L. kosoi and L. micheneri are very similar. We propose L. kosoi Chiou et al. 2018 as a later heterotypic synonym of L. micheneri McFrederick et al. 2018. The taxonomic position of Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. argentoratensis in the L. plantarum group was re-examined using a polyphasic approach, including sequence analyses of 16S rRNA, pheS, rpoA and recA genes, average nucleotide identity analysis, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization, fatty acid methyl ester analysis and phenotypic characterization. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that L. plantarum subsp. argentoratensis was closely related to L. plantarum subsp. plantarum, L. pentosus and L. paraplantarum in the L. plantarum group, sharing 99.6-99.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities. Results of pheS, rpoA and recA gene sequence analyses indicated that L. plantarum subsp. argentoratensis was most closely related to L. plantarum subsp. plantarum, having 91.8 % pheS gene sequence similarity, 98.9 % rpoA gene sequence similarity and 93.1 % recA gene sequence similarity. L. plantarum subsp. argentoratensis DSM 16365T shared 95.6 % ANI value and 62.9 % isDDH value with L. plantarum subsp. plantarum ATCC 14917T. The low isDDH value confirmed that L. plantarum subsp. argentoratensis and L. plantarum subsp. plantarum represent two different species, rather than two different subspecies in the L. plantarum group. On the basis of the data from polyphasic characterization obtained in the present study and in previous studies, L. plantarum subsp. argentoratensis is elevated to the species level and represents a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillus argentoratensis sp. nov. is proposed and the type strain is DKO 22T (=CIP 108320T=DSM 16365T=JCM 16169T). Two novel Gram-stain-positive bacterial strains, designated 1206-1T and F027-1-2, were isolated from traditional pickle in Heilongjiang Province, PR China, and from the intestinal tract of a honey bee (Apis mellifera) in Hubei Province, PR China, respectively. The two bacteria were characterized by a polyphasic approach, including 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, pheS gene sequence analysis, rpoA gene sequence analysis, fatty acid methyl ester analysis, average nucleotide identity analysis, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization analysis and an analysis of phenotypic features. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strains 1206-1T and F027-1-2 were distantly related to Lactobacillus sharpeae, Lactobacillus hulanensis, Lactobacillus songhuajiangensis, Lactobacillus pantheris, Lactobacillus thailandensis, Lactobacillus camelliae, Lactobacillus jixianensis, Lactobacillus nasuensis, Lactobacillus baoqingensis, Lactobacillus manihotivorans and Lactobacillus porcinae. Strain 1206-1T exhibited 94.2-96.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, 69.5-83.3 % pheS gene sequence similarities and 73.1-90.3 % rpoA gene sequence similarities to type strains of phylogenetically related species. ANI and isDDH values between strain 1206-1T and the type strains of phylogenetically related species were 52.7-73.7 % and 21.1-30.1 %, respectively. On the basis of the data obtained in the present study, a novel species, Lactobacillus zhaodongensis sp. nov. is proposed and the type strain is 1206-1T (=CCM 8981T=CCTCC AB 2019200T=LMG 31620T).

Lactobacillus huachuanensis sp. nov., isolated from Chinese traditional pickle.

A Gram-stain-positive bacterial strain, 395-6.2T, was isolated from traditional pickle in Heilongjiang Province, PR China. The bacterium was characterised by a polyphasic approach, including 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, pheS gene sequence analysis, rpoA gene sequence analysis, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis, determination of DNA G+C content, average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis, in silico DNA-DNA hybridisation (isDDH) and an analysis of phenotypic features. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain 395-6.2T was phylogenetically related to Lactobacillus farciminis, Lactobacillus formosensis, Lactobacillus futsaii, Lactobacillus crustorum, Lactobacillus nuruki, Lactobacillus heilongjiangensis, Lactobacillus musae, Lactobacillus nantensis, Lactobacillus mindensis, Lactobacillus kimchiensis, Lactobacillus zhachilii, Lactobacillus alimentarius, Lactobacillus bobalius, Lactobacillus kimchii and Lactobacillus paralimentarius. Strain 395-6.2T exhibited 95.7-99.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, 85.0-94.0 % pheS gene sequence similarities, 94.2-98.0 % rpoA gene sequence similarities to type strains of phylogenetically related species. ANI and isDDH values between strain 395-6.2T and type strains of phylogenetically related species were 77.9-87.1 % and 22.5-33.5 %, respectively. Based upon the data obtained in the present study, a novel species, Lactobacillus huachuanensis sp. nov., is proposed and the type strain is 395-6.2T (=CCM 8927T=NCIMB 15188T=LMG 31179T).

[Anti-aging Effect of Urtica Polysaccharides in D-galactose Induced Aging Mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-aging effect of polysaccharides from Urtica lobatifolia (Urtica polysaccharides) on subacute aging mice induced by D-galactose. METHODS: 90 mice were randomly divided into six groups: normal group, aging mice model group, V(E) group [100 mg/(kg x d), ig], high level of Urtica polysaccharides group [200 mg/(kg x d), ig], medium level of Urtica polysaccharides group [100 mg/(kg x d), ig] and low level of Urtica polysaccharides group [50 mg/(kg x d), ig]. The normal group was injected saline [10 mL/(kg x d), sc], while the other groups were injected D-galactose [150 mg/(kg x d), sc]. After six weeks, all the animals were weighed. After eight arm maze experiment and swimming endurance experiment, serum, liver and brain was collected. The content of protein in serum,liver and brain was detected. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), activities of total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver and brain samples were evaluated by kits. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, Urtica polysaccharides groups mice had larger body weight, longer swimming time, shorter time out of the maze and fewer numbers of error, as well as higher protein content in serum, liver and brain. The capacity of T-AOC, the activities of SOD and GSH-Px of polysaccharides groups in brain and liver tissue were increased significantly, and the MDA content was decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: Polysaccharides from Urtica lobatifolia has anti-aging effects on aging model mice, and the mechanism may be related to its antioxidant effect.