From theory to therapy: a bibliometric and visual study of stem cell advancements in age-related macular degeneration.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Human pluripotent stem cells, including embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, offer groundbreaking therapeutic potential for degenerative diseases and cellular repair. Despite their significance, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in this field, particularly in relation to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is yet to be conducted. This study aims to map the foundational and emerging areas in stem cell and AMD research through bibliometric analysis. METHODS: This study analyzed articles and reviews on stem cells and AMD from 2000 to 2022, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection. We used VOSviewer and CiteSpace for analysis and visualization of data pertaining to countries, institutions, authors, journals, references and key words. Statistical analyses were conducted using R language and Microsoft Excel 365. RESULTS: In total, 539 publications were included, indicating an increase in global literature on stem cells and AMD from 2000 to 2022. The USA was the leading contributor, with 239 papers and the highest H-index, also the USA had the highest average citation rate per article (59.82). Notably, 50% of the top 10 institutions were from the USA, with the University of California system being the most productive. Key authors included Masayo Takahashi, Michiko Mandai, Dennis Clegg, Pete J. Coffey, Boris Stanzel, and Budd A. Tucker. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science published the majority of relevant papers (n = 27). Key words like "clinical trial," "stem cell therapy," "retinal organoid," and "retinal progenitor cells" were predominant. CONCLUSIONS: Research on stem cells and AMD has grown significantly, highlighting the need for increased global cooperation. Current research prioritizes the relationship between "ipsc," "induced pluripotent stem cell," "cell culture," and "human embryonic stem cell." As stem cell culture and safety have advanced, focus has shifted to prognosis and complications post-transplantation, signifying the movement of stem cell research from labs to clinical settings.

Calcification-Carbonation Method for Bayer Red Mud Treatment: Carbonation Performance of Hydrogarnets.

Hydrogarnets are vital intermediate products in the calcification- carbonation method, which is designed for Bayer red mud treatment. Their carbonation performance greatly depends on SiO2 substitution. In this study, different SiO2-substituted hydrogarnets were synthesized and characterized. Then, batch experiments were performed to evaluate the potential effects of important parameters such as CO2 pressure, and SiO2 substitution degree (x) on the carbonation process. The SiO2 substitution degrees of the hydrogarnets synthesized at 60, 120, 180, and 240°C were 0.27, 0.36, 0.70, and 0.73, respectively. As the SiO2 substitution degree increased, the hydrogarnet carbonation extents gradually declined. With an increase in CO2 pressure, the hydrogarnet carbonation percentages increased gradually and rose from 80.33% to 98.19% within 120 min. The phases detected in the carbonized products were strip-like aragonite as well as some calcite; the Al-rich and Si-rich phases in the carbonized products were amorphous.

Magnetic propelled hydrogel microrobots for actively enhancing the efficiency of lycorine hydrochloride to suppress colorectal cancer.

Research and development in the field of micro/nano-robots have made significant progress in the past, especially in the field of clinical medicine, where further research may lead to many revolutionary achievements. Through the research and experiment of microrobots, a controllable drug delivery system will be realized, which will solve many problems in drug treatment. In this work, we design and study the ability of magnetic-driven hydrogel microrobots to carry Lycorine hydrochloride (LH) to inhibit colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. We have successfully designed a magnetic field driven, biocompatible drug carrying hydrogel microsphere robot with Fe3O4 particles inside, which can achieve magnetic field response, and confirmed that it can transport drug through fluorescence microscope. We have successfully demonstrated the motion mode of hydrogel microrobots driven by a rotating external magnetic field. This driving method allows the microrobots to move in a precise and controllable manner, providing tremendous potential for their use in various applications. Finally, we selected drug LH and loaded it into the hydrogel microrobot for a series of experiments. LH significantly inhibited CRC cells proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. LH inhibited the proliferation, mobility of CRC cells and induced apoptosis. This delivery system can significantly improve the therapeutic effect of drugs on tumors.

Eye Disease Net: an algorithmic model for rapid diagnosis of diseases.

With the development of science and technology and the improvement of the quality of life, ophthalmic diseases have become one of the major disorders that affect the quality of life of people. In view of this, we propose a new method of ophthalmic disease classification, ED-Net (Eye Disease Classification Net), which is composed of the ED_Resnet model and ED_Xception model, and we compare our ED-Net method with classical classification algorithms, transformer algorithm, more advanced image classification algorithms and ophthalmic disease classification algorithms. We propose the ED_Resnet module and ED_Xception module and reconstruct these two modules into a new image classification algorithm ED-Net, and compared them with classical classification algorithms, transformer algorithms, more advanced image classification algorithms and eye disease classification algorithms.

Bibliometric analysis of global research trends in adeno-associated virus vector for gene therapy (1991-2022).

Background: Gene therapy involves introducing and editing foreign genes in the body to treat and prevent genetic diseases. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector has become a widely used tool in gene therapy due to its high safety and transfection efficiency. Methods: This study employs bibliometric analysis to explore the foundation and current state of AAV vector application in gene therapy research. A total of 6,069 publications from 1991 to 2022 were analyzed, retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) within the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) of Clarivate Analytics. Institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords were analyzed and visualized by using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. The R language and Microsoft Excel 365 were used for statistical analyses. Results: The global literature on AAV vector and gene therapy exhibited consistent growth, with the United States leading in productivity, contributing 3,868 papers and obtaining the highest H-index. Noteworthy authors like Wilson JM, Samulski RJ, Hauswirth WW, and Mingozzi F were among the top 10 most productive and co-cited authors. The journal "Human Gene Therapy" published the most papers (n = 485) on AAV vector and gene therapy. Current research focuses on "gene editing," "gene structure," "CRISPR," and "AAV gene therapy for specific hereditary diseases." Conclusion: The application of AAV vector in gene therapy has shown continuous growth, fostering international cooperation among countries and institutions. The intersection of gene editing, gene structure, CRISPR, and AAV gene therapy for specific hereditary diseases and AAV vector represents a prominent and prioritized focus in contemporary gene therapy research. This study provides valuable insights into the trends and characteristics of AAV gene therapy research, facilitating further advancements in the field.

The Landscape of Early Growth Response Family Members 1-4 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Their Biological Roles and Diagnostic Utility.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is one of the most frequent types of cancer seen all over the world, is steadily growing from year to year. EGR genes are members of the early growth response (EGR) gene family. It has been shown that EGR genes play an increasingly essential role in the development of tumors and the progression of numerous malignancies. However, the possible diagnostic and prognostic roles of EGR genes in HCC have only been examined in a limited number of studies. Expression and methylation data on EGR family members were obtained from TCGA datasets. The prognostic values of EGR members were studied. Additionally, the correlations of EGR members with immune cells were assessed through the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). In this study, we found that the expression of EGR1, EGR2, EGR3, and EGR4 was distinctly decreased in HCC specimens compared with nontumor specimens. ROC assays confirmed that they have a strong ability in screening HCC specimens from nontumor specimens. According to the findings of Pearson's correlation, EGR1, EGR2, EGR3, and EGR4 were found to have a negative association with the methylation level. Survival study revealed that EGR1, EGR2, and EGR3 were associated with the clinical outcome of HCC patients. Immune cell enrichment analysis demonstrated that the expressions of all EGR members were positively related to the levels of most types of immune cells, such as macrophages, NK cells, B cells, T cells, eosinophils, and CD8 T cells. Overall, the current work demonstrated the expression mode and prognostic value of EGR members in HCC in a comprehensive manner, offering insights for further research of the EGR family as possible clinical biomarkers in HCC.

Fangchinoline exerts antitumour activity by suppressing the EGFR­PI3K/AKT signalling pathway in colon adenocarcinoma.

Fangchinoline (FAN), an alkaloid extracted from Stephania tetrandra, has a variety of biological and pharmacological activities, but evidence of its effects on colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which FAN affects COAD. The cytotoxicity, viability and proliferation of DLD­1 and LoVo cells were assessed in the presence of FAN using MTT and colony formation assays. The effects of FAN on apoptosis and the cell cycle in COAD cells were analysed by flow cytometry, and the migration and invasion of these cells were assessed by wound healing and Transwell experiments. Furthermore, a network pharmacological analysis was conducted to investigate the target of FAN and the results were confirmed by western blotting. In addition, a xenograft model was established in nude mice, and ultrasound imaging was used to assess the preclinical therapeutic effects of FAN in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, the results of this study provided the first evidence that FAN inhibited cellular proliferation, stemness, migration, invasion, angiogenesis and epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT), and induced apoptosis and G1­phase cell cycle arrest. Network pharmacological analysis further confirmed that FAN prevented EMT through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)­phosphoinositide 3­kinase (PI3K)/AKT signalling pathway. Finally, FAN significantly repressed tumour growth and promoted apoptosis in xenografts. Thus, targeting EGFR with FAN may offer a novel therapeutic approach for COAD.

The anti-neoplastic activities of aloperine in HeLa cervical cancer cells are associated with inhibition of the IL-6-JAK1-STAT3 feedback loop.

Cervical cancer (CC) is recognized as the most common neoplasm in the female reproductive system worldwide. The lack of chemotherapeutic agents with outstanding effectiveness and safety severely compromises the anti-cipated prognosis of patients. Aloperine (ALO) is a natural quinolizidine alkaloid with marked anti-cancer effects on multiple malignancies as well as favorable activity in relieving inflammation, allergies and infection. However, its therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanism in CC are still unclear. In the current study, MTT assay was employed to evaluate the viability of HeLa cells exposed to ALO to preliminarily estimate the effectiveness of ALO in CC. Then, the effects of ALO on the proliferation and apoptosis of HeLa cells were further investigated by plate colony formation and flow cytometry, respectively, while the migration and invasion of ALO-treated HeLa cells were evaluated using Transwell assay. Moreover, nude mice were subcutaneously inoculated with HeLa cells to demonstrate the anti-CC properties of ALO in vivo. The molecular mechanisms underlying these effects of ALO were evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis. This study experimentally demonstrated that ALO inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells via G2 phase cell cycle arrest. Simultaneously, ALO promoted an increase in the percentage of apoptotic HeLa cells by increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Additionally, the migration and invasion of HeLa cells were attenuated by ALO treatment, which was considered to result from inhibition of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. For molecular mechanisms, the expression and activation of the IL-6-JAK1-STAT3 feedback loop were markedly suppressed by ALO treatment. This study indicated that ALO markedly suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion and enhances the apoptosis of HeLa cells. In addition, these prominent anti-CC properties of ALO are associated with repression of the IL-6-JAK1-STAT3 feedback loop.

Cyclovirobuxine D inhibits colorectal cancer tumorigenesis via the CTHRC1­AKT/ERK­Snail signaling pathway.

Cyclovirobuxine D (CVB­D) is an alkaloid, which is mainly derived from Buxus microphylla. It has been reported that CVB­D has positive effects on breast cancer, gastric cancer and other malignant tumors. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports regarding the effects of CVB­D on colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of the present study was to determine the anticancer effects of CVB­D and further elucidate its molecular mechanism(s). DLD­1 and LoVo cell lines were selected to evaluate the antitumor effect of CVB­D. Cytotoxicity, viability and proliferation were evaluated by the MTT and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was used to detect the effects on apoptosis and the cell cycle in CVB­D­treated CRC cells. The migration and invasion abilities of CRC cells were examined by wound healing and Transwell assays. In addition, RNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and western blotting were performed to investigate the target of drug action and clarify the molecular mechanisms. A xenograft model was established using nude mice, and ultrasound was employed to assess the preclinical therapeutic effects of CVB­D in vivo. It was identified that CVB­D inhibited the proliferation, migration, stemness, angiogenesis and epithelial­mesenchymal transition of CRC cells, and induced apoptosis and S­phase arrest. In addition, CVB­D significantly inhibited the growth of xenografts. It is notable that CVB­D exerted anticancer effects in CRC cells partly by targeting collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), which may be upstream of the AKT and ERK pathways. CVB­D exerted anticancer effects through the CTHRC1­AKT/ERK­Snail signaling pathway. Targeted therapy combining CTHRC1 with CVB­D may offer a promising novel therapeutic approach for CRC treatment.

Fraxetin inhibits the growth of colon adenocarcinoma cells via the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signalling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Fraxetin, extracted from the bark of Fraxinus rhynchophylla, has been shown to exhibit antitumour and anti-inflammatory pharmacological properties. However, the mechanism underlying its anticancer activity towards colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is not well understood. We aimed to determine the antitumour effect of fraxetin on COAD cell lines and elucidate its biochemical and molecular targets. METHODS: The cell lines HCT116 and DLD-1 were used to evaluate the in vitro antitumour efficacy of fraxetin. Cytotoxicity and viability were assessed by CCK-8 and plate colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was used to assess apoptosis and cell cycle progression in fraxetin-treated COAD cells. Western blot, RT-qPCR, molecular docking, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence analyses were used to gain insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms. Preclinical curative effects were evaluated in nude mouse xenograft models. RESULTS: Fraxetin significantly inhibited COAD cell proliferation in both dose- and time-dependent manners, specifically by inducing S-phase cell cycle arrest and triggering intrinsic apoptosis. Additionally, the level of p-JAK2 was decreased by fraxetin via the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signalling pathway. Interestingly, in COAD cells, fraxetin directly targeted the Y1007 and Y1008 residues of JAK2 to suppress its auto- or transphosphorylation, leading to decreased activation of its downstream effector STAT3 and blocking its nuclear translocation. Finally, fraxetin exhibited good tumour growth suppression activity and low toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Fraxetin inhibits the proliferation of COAD cells by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway, providing evidence that targeting JAK2 with fraxetin may offer a novel potential auxiliary therapy for COAD treatment.

ZNF692 promotes colon adenocarcinoma cell growth and metastasis by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Despite considerable recent advancements in colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy, the prognosis of patients with advanced disease remains poor. Further understanding of the molecular mechanisms and treatment strategies of this disease is required. Zinc finger protein 692 (ZNF692), also known as AREBP and Zfp692, was first reported to have an important role in gluconeogenesis. A recent study demonstrated that ZNF692 is overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissues and that ZNF692 knockdown inhibited LUAD cell proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. However, the role of ZNF692 in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) remains unclear. The present study revealed that ZNF692 was upregulated in COAD tissues and cells and that high ZNF692 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and tumor stage in COAD patients. Gain­ and loss­of­function experiments were employed to identify the function of ZNF692 in COAD progression. In vitro and in vivo assays revealed that ZNF692 promoted COAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, western blot analysis demonstrated that the effects of ZNF692 were mediated by upregulating cyclin D1, cyclin­dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and matrix metalloproteinase­9 (MMP­9) and by downregulating p27Kip1 through the phosphoinositide 3­kinase/AKT signaling pathway. Collectively, these data indicated that ZNF692 may serve as a novel oncogene and a potential treatment target in COAD patients.

Single-Trial Classification of fNIRS Signals in Four Directions Motor Imagery Tasks Measured From Prefrontal Cortex.

As a promising non-invasive technique, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can easily detect the hemodynamic responses of cortical brain activities. This paper investigated the multiclass classification of motor imagery (MI) based on fNIRS; ten healthy individuals were recruited to move an object using their imagination. A multi-channel continuous-wave fNIRS equipment was applied to obtain the signals from the prefrontal cortex. A combination of ensemble empirical mode decomposition and independent component analysis method was used to solve the signal-noise frequency spectrum aliasing issues caused by the Mayer wave (0.1 Hz), then the signal means features were extracted as an input of linear discriminant analysis and support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The SVM classifier shows better classification results, and the average accuracies of four directions, up-down and left-right were 40.55%, 73.05%, and 70.7%, respectively, using oxygenated hemoglobin (8-21 s). This paper demonstrated that Brodmann area 4 was activated, which is consistent with previous conclusions. Furthermore, we found that the orbitofrontal cortex is also involved in MI and O2sat can also serve as a classified index.

[Effects of chloride channels on hemolysis induced by puerarin injection].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of blocking and activating chloride channels on hemolysis induced by puerarin injection in rabbits and to investigate the roles of chloride channels in hemolytic reaction induced by puerarin injection. METHODS: Rabbit erythrocyte suspension was incubated with different concentrations of puerarin injection(0.75, 1.5, 3, 6, 12 mg/ml) at 37oC for 6 hours. The cell imaging system was employed to observe whether puerarin injection induced hemolysis. The hemolysis rate was detected by microplate reader and flow cytometry. Effects of activating and closing chloride channels on the hemolysis induced by puerarin injection were explored. RESULTS: Puerarin injection could induce the hemolysis of rabbit erythrocytes in vitro. In the range of 1.5 mg/ml~12 mg/ml, puerarin injection could induce hemolysis in a concentration-dependent manner (n=3, P<0.01). The chloride channel blockers tamoxifen (20 µmol/L) and ATP (10 mmol/L) significantly inhibited the hemolysis induced by puerarin injection (n=3~5, P<0.01). Application of low concentration ATP (50 µmol/L) to activate the chloride channel significantly increased puerarin injection induced hemolysis (n=4, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The hemolytic effect of puerarin injection is dose-dependent in vitro, and the activation of chloride channel is closely related to the hemolysis induced by puerarin injection.

[Decline of protective forest and its prevention strategies from viewpoint of restoration ecology: taking Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantation in Zhanggutai as an example].

Aimed at the decline of protective forest in China, and applying the key principles of restoration ecology, such as ecological succession, disturbance, and population density, etc., this paper assessed the rationality of designing elements of protective forest in decision-making level, and analyzed its relationships with the decline of the forest, taking Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantation in Zhanggutai sandy land as an example. It was considered that the disagreement of large-scale afforestation with succession climax in regional scale was aberrant to the ecological principles, and resulted in the aberrancy of the objectives, steps, species composition, and stand density of protective forest establishment, being the main cause of protective forest decline. Mismanagement and frequent natural and human disturbances were also the important causes for the decline. Three strategies for preventing the decline, i.e., better understanding damaged ecosystems, increasing material and energy input, and overcoming disturbances were put forward, and the objectives of restoring vegetation, judgment of climax for ecological succession, and application of plagioclimax in establishing artificial vegetation were discussed.

[Phase-directional management of protective plantations. I. Fundamentals].

In order to ensure the higher effectiveness, more stability and sustainability of Protective plantations, the definition of phase-directional management (PDM) of protective plantations was brought forward on the basis of management researches and practices for protective plantations. The basics of PDM is protective maturity, which is defined as the time when the protective plantations attain to the state that the protective plantations can provide effective and complete protection to the objects needed to be protected. Protective maturity has two points, initial protective maturity age (IPMA), the age of protective maturity started, and terminal protective maturity age (TPMA), the age of protective maturity ended. Three management phases of protective plantation, i.e., prematurity phase, the period from sapling or establishment to initial protective maturity, protective maturity phase, the period of protective maturity lasting, and regeneration phase, the period during regeneration and before the establishment, are divided based on the fundamental of protective maturity. Directional management of protective plantation means that all of the management techniques in each phase are directed at the aim of protective maturity, i.e., protective maturity is the direction of management of protective forests, and protective maturity is the final objective for the management of protective forests. In order to sustain the protective maturity state, corresponding measures should be conducted in each phase, according to the classification of protective plantations. In pre-maturity phase, the purpose of managing is to accelerate the protective maturity, therefore, the measures such as weed clearing, soil cultivation, irrigation, fertilization, intercropping and branch cutting etc. should be conducted in protective plantations. In maturity phase, the aim of managing is to sustain the protective maturity, i.e., the techniques (tending and thinning) of controlling the structure of protective plantations should be paid emphases. In the period of regeneration, the objective of managing is to recover the protective maturity, accordingly, the regeneration patterns and ways should be determined reasonably. Additionally, the methods of determining protective maturity, i.e., the core of the phase-directional management, are also given corresponding to farmland shelterbelt, sand-fixation forest and water and soil conservation forest. For farmland shelterbelt, IPMA can be determined according to the growth pattern of tree height under the suitable structure (porosity). For sand-fixation forest, it can be determined by the cover degree of the forest, i.e., the age when cover degree gets to pi/4 can be considered as IPMA. In the case of water and soil conservation forest, IPMA is determined by the canopy closure at the height of 1m above forest ground, which can be obtained from the hemispherical silhouettes in vertical direction. As for the TPMA, it can be described by the natural age of trees for all of above-mentioned three kinds of protective plantations, but the concrete methods for estimating the natural age of trees in each kind of forests are different.

[Comprehensive evaluation and selection of urban eco-engineering virescent trees in Shenyang City].

Urban virescence eco-engineering is the core of urban eco-environmental construction, which can promote urban sustainable development. In urban virescence eco-engineering, the comprehensive evaluation of ecological adapt-ability and ecological effect of urban plants is the scientific basis of rational application and selection of urban garden plants. The ecological effect and integrative functions of urban virescence eco-engineering depend upon the selection and layout of garden plants. Using the methods of garden expert consultation and evaluation, this paper established systematically integrative evaluation and application indices of virescence plants in Shenyang City, from the aspects of ecological adaptability, ecological effect, beautification effect, resistance to plant diseases and insect pests, anti-pollution and economic results. According to garden experts evaluation and location of Shenyang, 200 sorts of virescence trees were evaluated and classified on the basis of the comprehensive evaluation system of virescence trees, and using cold resistance, drought resistance, barren resistance, plant diseases and insect pests resistance, anti-pollution, ornamental quality and ecological effects as the indexes. The results showed that the number of first rank trees was 58, the second was 93, methods of third was 38, and the fourth was 11, ranked by integrative performance.

[Vegetation restoration in western Liaoning hilly region: a study based on succession theory and degradation degree of ecosystem].

Analysis with some habitat indexes of different succession stage, this paper quantitatively measured the degradation degree of degraded ecosystems in this region. The results showed that the average dissimilarities between natural Quercus forest, natural Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forest and Populus-Quercus forest in Nanliuzhangzi forestry centre and Chinese pine plantations in Niuheliang region and Qitian forestry centre were 0.655, 0.665, 2.029 and 3.919, respectively, and as a whole, the dissimilarities represented the places of the forests in the process of ecosystem succession/degradation. It was also showed that most habitats were degraded to the stage between shrubbery and pioneer arbor forest, and closer to the succession stage of pioneer arbor forest. Some suggestions were made for the management of the existing plantation and the construction of mixed forest, e.g., to increase the proportion of shrubbery and pioneer arbor species, especially that of nitrogen fixation tree species. The plant species list of several main vegetation types in western Liaoning we offered could provide scientific reference for the vegetation restoration and the management of pure Chinese pine plantation in this region.

[Eco-value level classification and ecosystem management strategy of broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain].

To realize the sustainable management of forest ecosystems, we should explicitly clarify the types and differences of the ecosystem services provided by different ecosystems under different conditions, with rethinking about the value of forest ecosystems; then solid management strategies and measurements will be enacted and applied to achieve the objects. The broad-leaved Korean pine forest (BLKPF) in Changbai Mountain is a unique and important forest type in China, owing to its many important ecosystem services such as preventing soil erosion, regulating climates, nutrient cycling, providing wood and non-timber forest products, etc. This paper is a preliminary study on the management strategy of BLKPF on the basis of analyzing the characters of the ecosystems and the relative importance of services they provided in this region. Based on the latest research of ecosystem services of BLKPF in Changbai Mountain, an idea of eco-value level (EVL) was introduced, and accordingly, management strategies were summarized by adopting the advanced theories in ecosystem management science and by analyzing field survey data. EVL means the relative amount of the value of ecosystem services provided by certain ecosystem, which can indicate the difference between services in given objects. The EVL classification of BLKPF implies the relative amount of the eco-value of different ecosystems including virgin forest, secondary forest, forest with human disturbance, and man-made forest in the clear-cutting sites. Analytical Hierarchical Processing method was used to formulate the equation for EVL index. Eight factors, namely, slope, soil depth, stability of soil maternal material, coverage of above-ground canopy, species diversity, regeneration rate of the stand, life span of dominant tree species, and intensity of human disturbance were chosen to build the formula. These factors belonged to three aspects affecting ecosystem services including the physical environment, community, and disturbance regime, and their selection and scaling were based on the previous studies on the BLKPF. The equation of EVL index (EI) was expressed as: EI = 0.542A1 + 0.171A2 + 0.072A3 + 0.067B1 + 0.043B2 + 0.014B3 + 0.010B4 + 0.081C1. According to the range of EI, ecosystems were classified into three types: low EVL type with EI from 1.000 to 1.874, medium EVL type with EI 1.874-2.749, and high EVL type with EI 2.749-3.623. Typical plots were surveyed and scaled with EI, and the predominant characters of each EVL type were summarized. Most forests of high EVL type were those in sites at high risk of soil erosion and hard to recover after disrupted. Forests of medium EVL type were those with worse community structure and composition, and were disturbed by human activities in relative steep sites. Forest of low EVL type were those in plane site with serious disruption or some young man-made stands. Based on the analyses of the characters of these three types, different management strategies were put forward. For high EVL type forest, strictly protection is most important to maintain the forest in natural succession and its eco-services. For medium EVL type forest, the key points of management are restoring their health and vigor by regulating their composition and structure in a seminatural way. For low EVL type forest, some area could be used to extensive exploration for economic benefits, and the rests should be reconstructed towards the original stand in composition and structure, based on the 'shadow ecosystem' in a close-to-nature way to promote the capacity of providing more eco-services.

[Sustainable management for farmland shelterbelts].

The spatio-temporal pattern of shelterbelt regeneration is an important issue which determintes whether shelterbelt network produces protective effects sustainably. This article developed a new method of imitating "normal forest" to manage shelterbelts. Based on an administrative village as an organized management unit, each shelterbelt in the organized management unit will be individually regenerated and regulated, until the number of the shelterbelts in each age-class from young to mature ones will be equal, and the shelterbelts in each age-class will be spatially distributed uniformly in the shelterbelt network of an organized management unit. Consequently, this method might temporally ensure sustainable and stable ecological services which are provided by the shelterbelts in an organized management unit.

[Assessing indices of container seedling quality].

In this paper, the assessing indices of container seedlings quality were synthesized in accordance with growth and physiological factors. The results showed that the seedling quality might be determined by the dormancy state of terminal bud, nutrient condition of plant, and the state of root system. The critical quality indices should include stem diameter at soil surface, dry weight of terminal bud, and soluble sugar content. Moreover, some indices such as root system vitality and dry weight of plant were also important.