MicroRNAs balance growth and salt stress responses in sweet sorghum.

Salt stress is one of the major causes of reduced crop production, limiting agricultural development globally. Plants have evolved with complex systems to maintain the balance between growth and stress responses, where signaling pathways such as hormone signaling play key roles. Recent studies revealed that hormones are modulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). Previously, two sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) inbred lines with different salt tolerance were identified: the salt-tolerant M-81E and the salt-sensitive Roma. The levels of endogenous hormones in M-81E and Roma varied differently under salt stress, showing a different balance between growth and stress responses. miRNA and degradome sequencing showed that the expression of many upstream transcription factors regulating signal transduction and hormone-responsive genes was directly induced by differentially expressed miRNAs, whose levels were very different between the two sweet sorghum lines. Furthermore, the effects of representative miRNAs on salt tolerance in sorghum were verified through a transformation system mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Also, miR-6225-5p reduced the level of Ca2+ in the miR-6225-5p-overexpressing line by inhibiting the expression of the Ca2+ uptake gene SbGLR3.1 in the root epidermis and affected salt tolerance in sorghum. This study provides evidence for miRNA-mediated growth and stress responses in sweet sorghum.

Ancient DNA and multimethod dating confirm the late arrival of anatomically modern humans in southern China.

The expansion of anatomically modern humans (AMHs) from Africa around 65,000 to 45,000 y ago (ca. 65 to 45 ka) led to the establishment of present-day non-African populations. Some paleoanthropologists have argued that fossil discoveries from Huanglong, Zhiren, Luna, and Fuyan caves in southern China indicate one or more prior dispersals, perhaps as early as ca. 120 ka. We investigated the age of the human remains from three of these localities and two additional early AMH sites (Yangjiapo and Sanyou caves, Hubei) by combining ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis with a multimethod geological dating strategy. Although U-Th dating of capping flowstones suggested they lie within the range ca. 168 to 70 ka, analyses of aDNA and direct AMS 14C dating on human teeth from Fuyan and Yangjiapo caves showed they derive from the Holocene. OSL dating of sediments and AMS 14C analysis of mammal teeth and charcoal also demonstrated major discrepancies from the flowstone ages; the difference between them being an order of magnitude or more at most of these localities. Our work highlights the surprisingly complex depositional history recorded at these subtropical caves which involved one or more episodes of erosion and redeposition or intrusion as recently as the late Holocene. In light of our findings, the first appearance datum for AMHs in southern China should probably lie within the timeframe set by molecular data of ca. 50 to 45 ka.

Plasma-Membrane-Localized Transporter NREET1 is Responsible for Rare Earth Element Uptake in Hyperaccumulator Dicranopteris linearis.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical for numerous modern technologies, and demand is increasing globally; however, production steps are resource-intensive and environmentally damaging. Some plant species are able to hyperaccumulate REEs, and understanding the biology behind this phenomenon could play a pivotal role in developing more environmentally friendly REE recovery technologies. Here, we identified a REE transporter NRAMP REE Transporter 1 (NREET1) from the REE hyperaccumulator fern Dicranopteris linearis. Although NREET1 belongs to the natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP) family, it shares a low similarity with other NRAMP members. When expressed in yeast, NREET1 exhibited REE transport capacity, but it could not transport divalent metals, such as zinc, nickel, manganese, or iron. NREET1 is mainly expressed in D. linearis roots and predominantly localized in the plasma membrane. Expression studies in Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that NREET1 functions as a transporter mediating REE uptake and transfer from root cell walls into the cytoplasm. Moreover, NREET1 has a higher affinity for transporting light REEs compared to heavy REEs, which is consistent to the preferential enrichment of light REEs in field-grown D. linearis. We therefore conclude that NREET1 may play an important role in the uptake and consequently hyperaccumulation of REEs in D. linearis. These findings lay the foundation for the use of synthetic biology techniques to design and produce sustainable, plant-based REE recovery systems.

Cytokinins as central regulators during plant growth and stress response.

KEY MESSAGE: Cytokinins are a class of phytohormone that participate in the regulation of the plant growth, development, and stress response. In this review, the potential regulating mechanism during plant growth and stress response are discussed. Cytokinins are a class of phytohormone that participate in the regulation of plant growth, physiological activities, and yield. Cytokinins also play a key role in response to abiotic stresses, such as drought, salt and high or low temperature. Through the signal transduction pathway, cytokinins interact with various transcription factors via a series of phosphorylation cascades to regulate cytokinin-target gene expression. In this review, we systematically summarize the biosynthesis and metabolism of cytokinins, cytokinin signaling, and associated gene regulation, and highlight the function of cytokinins during plant development and resistance to abiotic stress. We also focus on the importance of crosstalk between cytokinins and other classes of phytohormones, including auxin, ethylene, strigolactone, and gibberellin. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of recent findings on the mechanisms by which cytokinins act as central regulators of plant development and stress reactions, and highlight topics for future research.

Triglyceride is a Good Biomarker of Increased Injury Severity on a High Fat Diet Rat After Traumatic Brain Injury.

Injury severity is correlated with poor prognosis after traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is not known whether triglycerides (TGs) or total cholesterol (TC) is good biomarker of increased injury of neuroinflammation and apoptosis in a high fat diet (HFD)-treated rat after TBI episodes. Five-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed a HFD for 8 weeks. The anesthetized male SD rats were divided into three sub-groups: sham-operated and TBI with 1.6 atm or with 2.4 atm fluid percussion injury (FPI). Cell infarction volume (triphenyltetrazolium chloride stain), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression in the microglia (OX42 marker) and astrocytes (Glial fibrillary acidic protein marker), TNF-α receptor expression in the neurons (TNFR1 and TNFR2 markers), and the extent of neuronal apoptosis (TUNEL marker) were evaluated by immunofluorescence, and the functional outcome was assessed by an inclined plane test. These tests were performed 72 h after TBI. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were measured at 24, 48 and 72 h after TBI. The FPI with 2.4 atm significantly increased body weight loss, infarction volume, neuronal apoptosis and TNF-α expression in the microglia and astrocytes, and it decreased the maximum grasp degree and TNFR1 and TNFR2 expression in neurons at the 3rd day following TBI. The serum TG level was positively correlated with FPI force, infarction volume, Neu-N-TUNEL, GFAP-TNFα, and OX42-TNFα Simultaneously; the serum TG level was negatively correlated with Neu-N-TNFR1 and Neu-N-TNFR2. TG is a good biomarker of increased injury for neuroinflammation and apoptosis at the 3rd day after TBI in HFD rats.

Uniparental Genetic Analyses Reveal the Major Origin of Fujian Tanka from Ancient Indigenous Daic Populations.

The Fujian Tanka people are officially classified as a southern Han ethnic group, whereas they have customs similar to Daic and Austronesion people. Whether they originated in Han or Daic people, there is no consensus. Three hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of this group: (1) the Han Chinese origin, (2) the ancient Daic origin, (3) and the admixture between Daic and Han. This study addressed this issue by analyzing the paternal Y chromosome and maternal mtDNA variation of 62 Fujian Tanka and 25 neighboring Han in Fujian. The southern East Asian predominant haplogroups (e.g., Y-chromosome O1a1a-P203 and O1b1a1a-M95, and mtDNA F2a, M7c1, and F1a1) had relatively high frequencies in Tanka. The interpopulation comparison revealed that the Tanka have a closer affinity with Daic populations than with Han Chinese in paternal lineages but are closely clustered with southern Han populations such as Hakka and Chaoshanese in maternal lineages. Network and haplotype-sharing analyses also support the admixture hypothesis. The Fujian Tanka mainly originate from the ancient indigenous Daic people and have only limited gene flows from Han Chinese populations. Notably, the divergence time inferred by the Tanka-specific haplotypes indicates that the formation of Fujian Tanka was a least 1033.8-1050.6 years before present (the early Northern Song dynasty), indicating that they are an indigenous population, not late Daic migrants from southwestern China.

The Short-Term Effects of Isolated Traumatic Brain Injury on the Heart in Experimental Healthy Rats.

BACKGROUND: To date, cardiac dysfunction after traumatic brain injury (TBI) has not been consistent. In this study, we hypothesized that TBI may play a role in the development of new-onset cardiac dysfunction in healthy experimental rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anesthetized healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: a sham-operated control group and a TBI group. The brain was injured with 2.4 atm percussion via a fluid percussion injury model. During the 120 min after TBI, we continuously measured brain parameters, including intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and cardiac parameters, such as heart rate (HR), inter-ventricular septum dimension (IVSD), left ventricular internal dimension diastole (LVIDd), end-diastolic volume (EDV), ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), and LV mass diastole (LVd mass) by cardiac echo. On days 1, 3, 7, and 14 after TBI, the brain damage volume was evaluated with triphenyltetrazolium chloride; the physiological parameters of the heart, including HR, IVSd, LVIDd, EDV, EF, FS, and LVd mass, were evaluated with cardiac echo; the morphology of cardiomyocytes was examined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson trichrome staining; and the biomarkers of cardiac injury troponin I and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) were also examined. RESULTS: Compared to sham-operated controls, the TBI groups had higher ICP, lower CPP, and higher brain neuronal apoptosis and infarction contusion volume. The impact of TBI on heart function showed hyperdynamic response trends in IVSd, LVIDd, EDV, EF, FS, and LVd mass within 30 min after TBI; however, EF and FS exhibited eventual decreasing trends. Simultaneously, the values of the biomarkers troponin I and BNP were within normal limits, and HE and Mass trichrome staining revealed no significant differences between the sham-operated control group and the TBI group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that TBI due to 2.4 atm fluid percussion injury in healthy experimental rats may cause significant damage to the brain and affect the heart function as investigated by cardiac echo but not as investigated by HE and Masson trichrome stainings or troponin I and BNP evaluation.

MtDNA genomes reveal a relaxation of selective constraints in low-BMI individuals in a Uyghur population.

Considerable attention has been focused on the effect of deleterious mutations caused by the recent relaxation of selective constraints on human health, including the prevalence of obesity, which might represent an adaptive response of energy-conserving metabolism under the conditions of modern society. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encoding 13 core subunits of oxidative phosphorylation plays an important role in metabolism. Therefore, we hypothesized that a relaxation of selection constraints on mtDNA and an increase in the proportion of deleterious mutations have played a role in obesity prevalence. In this study, we collected and sequenced the mtDNA genomes of 722 Uyghurs, a typical population with a high prevalence of obesity. We identified the variants that occurred in the Uyghur population for each sample and found that the number of nonsynonymous mutations carried by Uyghur individuals declined with elevation of their BMI (P = 0.015). We further calculated the nonsynonymous and synonymous ratio (N/S) of the high-BMI and low-BMI haplogroups, and the results showed that a significantly higher N/S occurred in the whole mtDNA genomes of the low-BMI haplogroups (0.64) than in that of the high-BMI haplogroups (0.35, P = 0.030) and ancestor haplotypes (0.41, P = 0.032); these findings indicated that low-BMI individuals showed a recent relaxation of selective constraints. In addition, we investigated six clinical characteristics and found that fasting plasma glucose might be correlated with the N/S and selective pressures. We hypothesized that a higher proportion of deleterious mutations led to mild mitochondrial dysfunction, which helps to drive glucose consumption and thereby prevents obesity. Our results provide new insights into the relationship between obesity predisposition and mitochondrial genome evolution.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome of a Tongue Worm Armillifer agkistrodontis.

Armillifer agkistrodontis (Ichthyostraca: Pantastomida) is a parasitic pathogen, only reported in China, which can cause a zoonotic disease, pentastomiasis. A complete mitochondrial (mt) genome was 16,521 bp comprising 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 non-coding region (NCR). A phylogenetic tree drawn with the concatenated amino acid sequences of the 6 conserved PCGs (atp6, cox1-3, and nad2) showed that A. agkistrodontis and Armillifer armillatus constituted a clade Pentastomida which was a sister group of the Branchiura. The complete mt genome sequence of A. agkistrodontis provides important genetic markers for both phylogenetic and epidemiological studies of pentastomids.

mtDNA lineage expansions in Sherpa population suggest adaptive evolution in Tibetan highlands.

Sherpa population is an ethnic group living in south mountainside of Himalayas for hundreds of years. They are famous as extraordinary mountaineers and guides, considered as a good example for successful adaptation to low oxygen environment in Tibetan highlands. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations might be important in the highland adaption given its role in coding core subunits of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. In this study, we sequenced the complete mtDNA genomes of 76 unrelated Sherpa individuals. Generally, Sherpa mtDNA haplogroup constitution was close to Tibetan populations. However, we found three lineage expansions in Sherpas, two of which (C4a3b1 and A4e3a) were Sherpa-specific. Both lineage expansions might begin within the past hundreds of years. Especially, nine individuals carry identical Haplogroup C4a3b1. According to the history of Sherpas and Bayesian skyline plot, we constructed various demographic models and found out that it is unlikely for these lineage expansions to occur in neutral models especially for C4a3b1. Nonsynonymous mutations harbored in C4a3b1 (G3745A) and A4e3a (T4216C) are both ND1 mutants (A147T and Y304H, respectively). Secondary structure predictions showed that G3745A were structurally closing to other pathogenic mutants, whereas T4216C itself was reported as the primary mutation for Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. Thus, we propose that these mutations had certain effect on Complex I function and might be important in the high altitude adaptation for Sherpa people.

Mitochondrial DNA haplogroup D4b is a protective factor for ischemic stroke in Chinese Han population.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups affect the assembly and stability of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, which is potentially related to susceptibility to ischemic stroke (IS). However, the role of mtDNA in IS has not been comprehensively studied. The purpose of this study was to explore whether mtDNA polymorphisms and haplogroups are involved in the etiology of IS in the Chinese Han population. We recruited 200 patients with IS and 200 matched controls and genotyped them for 18 mtDNA single nucleotide polymorphisms defining the major Eastern Asian haplogroups by SNaPshot minisequencing. We also sequenced the hypervariable segment I (HVS-I), position 16051-16400. The prevalence of haplogroup D4b was significantly lower in IS patients than in healthy controls (0 and 8 %, respectively, corrected P = 2 × 10(-5), odds ratio = 0.028, 95 % confidence interval = 0.002-0.468).The positive association between haplogroup D4b and IS may be related to the protective effect of haplogroup D4b against oxidative damage, which decreases the risk of IS. Our study provides the first evidence that haplogroup D4b is a potential genetic protective factor for IS in the Chinese Han population.

Natural selection shaped the protective effect of the mtDNA lineage against obesity in Han Chinese populations.

Mitochondria play a key role in lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are thus considered to affect obesity susceptibility by altering oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial function. In this study, we investigated mtDNA variants that may affect obesity risk in 2,877 Han Chinese individuals from three independent populations. The association analysis of 16 basal mtDNA haplogroups with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) revealed that only haplogroup M7 was significantly negatively correlated with all three adiposity-related anthropometric traits in the overall cohort (P=0.003 for BMI, P=1×10-5 for WC, P=0.005 for WHR), which was verified by the analysis of a single population, i.e., the Zhengzhou population. Furthermore, subhaplogroup analysis suggested that M7b1a1 was the most likely haplogroup associated with a decreased obesity risk, and the variation T12811C (causing Y159H in ND5) harbored in M7b1a1 may be the most likely candidate for altering mitochondrial function. Specifically, we found that proportionally more nonsynonymous mutations accumulated in M7b1a1 carriers, indicating that M7b1a1 was either under positive selection or subject to a relaxation of selective constraints. We also found that nuclear variants, especially in DACT2 and PIEZO1, may functionally interact with M7b1a1.

HGV2012: leveraging next-generation technology and large datasets to advance disease research.

The 13th International Meeting on Human Genome Variation and Complex Genome Analysis (HGV2012: Shanghai, China, 6th-8th September 2012) was a stimulating workshop where researchers from academia and industry explored the latest progress, challenges, and opportunities in genome variation research. Key themes included advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, investigation of common and rare diseases, employing NGS in the clinic, utilizing large datasets that leverage biobanks and population-specific cohorts, and exploration of genomic features.

[Ectopic mesonephric duct cyst with ectopic testicular malignancy: a case report and literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To report a rare case of ectopic mesonephric duct cyst with ectopic testicular malignancy and improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of a case of ectopic mesonephric duct cyst with ectopic testicular malignancy, reviewed relevant literature at home and abroad, and investigated the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. RESULTS: A large cyst and the right ectopic malignant testis were removed via abdominal incision, and the left undescended testis was lowered into the scrotum. Pathological examination confirmed the lesion to be right ectopic mesonephric duct cyst with right ectopic testicular seminoma. No metastasis was found during a year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Ectopic mesonephric duct cyst with ectopic testicular malignancy was a rare disease. Imaging examination contributes to its diagnosis, but it has to be confirmed by pathology. Surgical removal should be performed as early as possible and follow-up treatment depends on the pathologic type and stage of ectopic testicular malignancy.

High-energy interference-free K-lines synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy of rare earth elements in hyperaccumulator plants.

Synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis (µXRF) is a nondestructive and highly sensitive technique. However, element mapping of rare earth elements (REEs) under standard conditions requires care, since energy-dispersive detectors are not able to differentiate accurately between REEs L-shell X-ray emission lines overlapping with K-shell X-ray emission lines of common transition elements of high concentrations. We aim to test REE element mapping with high-energy interference-free excitation of the REE K-lines on hyperaccumulator plant tissues and compare with measurements with REE L-shell excitation at the microprobe experiment of beamline P06 (PETRA III, DESY). A combination of compound refractive lens optics (CRLs) was used to obtain a micrometer-sized focused incident beam with an energy of 44 keV and an extra-thick silicon drift detector optimized for high-energy X-ray detection to detect the K-lines of yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), and neodymium (Nd) without any interferences due to line overlaps. High-energy excitation from La to Nd in the hyperaccumulator organs was successful but compared to L-line excitation less efficient and therefore slow (∼10-fold slower than similar maps at lower incident energy) due to lower flux and detection efficiency. However, REE K-lines do not suffer significantly from self-absorption, which makes XRF tomography of millimeter-sized frozen-hydrated plant samples possible. The K-line excitation of REEs at the P06 CRL setup has scope for application in samples that are particularly prone to REE interfering elements, such as soil samples with high concomitant Ti, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ni concentrations.

Rare earth elements detoxification mechanism in the hyperaccumulator Dicranopteris linearis: [silicon-pectin] matrix fixation.

Dicranopteris linearis is the best-known hyperaccumulator species of rare earth elements (REEs) and silicon (Si), capable of dealing with toxic level of REEs. Hence, this study aimed to clarify how D. linearis leaves cope with excessive REE stress, and whether Si plays a role in REE detoxification. The results show that lanthanum (La - as a representative of the REEs) stress led to decreased biomass and an increase of metabolism related to leaf cell wall synthesis and modification. However, the La stress-induced responses, especially the increase of pectin-related gene expression level, pectin polysaccharides concentration, and methylesterase activity, could be mitigated by Si supply. Approximately 70% of the Si in D. linearis leaves interacted with the cell walls to form organosilicon Si-O-C linkages. The Si-modified cell walls contained more hydroxyl groups, leading to a more efficient REE retention compared to the Si-free ones. Moreover, this [Si-cell wall] matrix increased the pectin-La accumulation capacity by 64%, with no effect on hemicellulose-La and cellulose-La accumulation capacity. These results suggest that [Si-pectin] matrix fixation is key in REE detoxification in D. linearis, laying the foundation for the development of phytotechnological applications (e.g., REE phytomining) using this species in REE-contaminated sites.

Phylogenetic evidence reveals early Kra-Dai divergence and dispersal in the late Holocene.

Studying language evolution brings a crucial perspective to bear on questions of human prehistory. As the most linguistically diverse region on earth, East and Southeast Asia have witnessed extensive sociocultural and ethnic contacts among different language communities. Especially, the Kra-Dai language family exhibits tremendous socio-cultural importance in these regions. Due to limited historical accounts, however, there are several controversies on their linguistic relatedness, ambiguities regarding the divergence time, and uncertainties on the dispersal patterns. To address these issues, here we apply Bayesian phylogenetic methods to analyze the largest lexical dataset containing 646 cognate sets compiled for 100 Kra-Dai languages. Our dated phylogenetic tree showed their initial divergence occurring approximately 4000 years BP. Phylogeographic results supported the early Kra-Dai language dispersal from the Guangxi-Guangdong area of South China towards Mainland Southeast Asia. Coupled with genetic, archaeological, paleoecologic, and paleoclimatic data, we demonstrated that the Kra-Dai language diversification could have coincided with their demic diffusion and agricultural spread shaped by the global climate change in the late Holocene. The interdisciplinary alignments shed light on reconstructing the prehistory of Kra-Dai languages and provide an indispensable piece of the puzzle for further studying prehistoric human activities in East and Southeast Asia.

The limited exclusion and efficient translocation mediated by organic acids contribute to rare earth element hyperaccumulation in Phytolacca americana.

Organic acids play an important role in metal tolerance, uptake, and translocation in hyperaccumulators. Phytolacca americana is a rare earth element (REE) hyperaccumulator, but the underlying mechanisms on REE tolerance and accumulation mediated by organic acids are poorly understood. Here, we reported for the first time the strategy of P. americana to enhance REE tolerance and accumulation through organic acids from root external secretion to internal biosynthesis. Different from the exclusion of heavy metal by organic acid in the typical plants, the results showed that oxalate secretion (0.3-0.6 µmol h-1 g-1 root DW) induced by yttrium (Y) could not prevent Y from entering the roots, resulting in excess Y uptake by P. americana. Yttrium stress also stimulated the accumulation of malate and citrate by 1.4- and 2.0-folds in the root cortex. Exogenous malate and citrate promoted the redistribution of Y from the root cell walls to the shoot by 30% and 21%, respectively. Based on comparative transcriptome analysis, 6-fold up-regulation was observed in PaNIP1;2, whose homology AtNIP1;2 is responsible for the transport of Al-malate in Arabidopsis. These results suggested that the promoted formation of Y-malate complexes within the roots potentially accelerated the transport of Y from P. americana roots to shoots through PaNIP1;2. Our study revealed the potential mechanism of organic acids in the external exclusion and internal detoxification and translocation of REE in P. americana roots, which provided a basis for improving the efficiency of REE phytoextraction.

Biogeochemical cycles of nutrients, rare earth elements (REEs) and Al in soil-plant system in ion-adsorption REE mine tailings remediated with amendment and ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.).

The exploitation of ion-adsorption rare earth element (REE) deposits in South China has left large areas of mine tailings. However, limited remediation practices on these tailings have been reported, and how the remediation strategies and economic plants cultivation affect the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients, REEs and Al remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the combination of the addition of soil amendment and the root development and activity of a fiber plant ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) on the availability and distribution of nutrients, as well as of REEs and other potentially toxic elements (e.g. Al) in the soil-plant system. The results showed that the application of organic amendment and ramie planting induced a significant increase in soil pH, total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and other nutrient (e.g. P and Ca) concentrations, while led to a decrease of 80-90% and 60-90% in soil extractable REE and Al concentrations respectively. Matrices of correlation showed that soil pH, total C, N, and P concentrations were among the most important factors controlling the availability of soil REEs and Al, and root characteristics (e.g. fine root length). The total C, N, P and extractable nutrient concentrations, and electrical conductivity were higher in the rhizosphere soils of ramie than those in the bulk soils. Moreover, more than 60% of the quantity of REE and Al in the whole ramie plant was stored within the thick roots. These results showed that, in addition to amendment, the effects induced by the roots of ramie could further improve soil properties through C input, nutrient mobilization and toxic element stabilization. Our study concludes that ramie planting with organic amendment is a promising phytostabilization strategy for the remediation of REE mine tailings in South China.

Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery following craniectomy from a scalp hook retractor penetrating injury: Case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms in scalp vessels are an uncommon complication after cranial surgery. This paper reports a case of scalp pseudoaneurysm in the superficial temporal artery (STA) after forceful hook retraction in craniectomy and reviews the relevant literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 36-year-old man with history of hypertension and depression presented to the emergency department with head injury after using sedation medication. Brain computed tomography (CT) revealed a 2-cm-thick right parietal extradural hematoma (EDH) with parietal skull fracture, a bilateral lower frontotemporal contusional intracerebral hematoma, diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage, and a right frontotemporoparietal subdural hematoma. To prevent EDH progression, frontotemporal emergency craniectomy to remove the EDH was performed. The next day, a firm, painful mass measuring 3 × 3.5 cm2 was discovered over the right frontal scalp. The mass was close to the site where the scalp hook retractor had been placed during surgery. Sonography revealed pulsatile blood flow with an arterial feeder inside the mass. CT angiography revealed a 1 × 1.2 × 0.7 cm3 pseudoaneurysm in the right frontal scalp from the frontal branch of the STA. We scheduled a resection of the pseudoaneurysm and combined cranioplasty on the 29th postoperative day. The pseudoaneurysm was resected en bloc. The patient was discharged with clear consciousness and intact muscle power. CONCLUSION: The complications of STA pseudoaneurysms caused by scalp hook retractors are rare and not yet well reported. Surgeons must avoid injuring the STA when using a scalp hook retractor.