[Effects of Biochar and Straw Returning on Soil Fungal Community Structure Diversity in Cotton Field with Long-term Brackish Water Irrigation].

Brackish water irrigation increases soil salinity and changes the soil environment, which affects the structure and diversity of soil fungi. In this study, the effects of biochar and straw (3.7 t·hm-2 and 6 t·hm-2, respectively) on soil physical and chemical properties and fungal community structure diversity were investigated on the basis of long-term brackish water irrigation. The results showed that compared to the absence of biochar and straw application (control), biochar application significantly increased pH and the contents of total carbon, available potassium, and available phosphorus in soil but significantly decreased the soil conductivity by 20.71%. Straw treatment significantly increased the content of available potassium and phosphorus but significantly decreased the soil bulk density and conductivity by 4.17% and 64.50%, respectively. The biochar and straw treatment showed an increasing trend in the Chao1 index and ACE index of the fungal community but a decreasing trend in the Shannon index and Simpson index. The dominant fungal phyla in the soil were Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Glomeromycota. The dominant fungal genera were Chaetomium, Gibberella, Fusarium, Idriella, and Mortierella. Biochar and straw were applied to increase the relative abundance of Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, Basidiomycota, Glomeromycota, and Chaetomium. However, the relative abundance of Chytridomycota, Gibberella, and Idriella decreased. LEfSe analysis showed that biochar application and straw returning decreased the number of potential biomarkers in fungal communities. RDA results showed that soil fungal community structure was significantly correlated with EC1:5 and TN. Brackish irrigation had adverse effects on soil, in which EC1:5and TN were the main factors driving the change in soil fungal community structure. The soil fungal community adapted to a salt-stress environment through the improvement of soil by biochar and straw.

[Effects of electroacupuncture on insulin resistance in patients with knee arthroplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of electroacupuncture on the improvement of insulin resistance after knee joint replacement based on the combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia. METHODS: Eighty patients with insulin resistance but normal blood glucose were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, 40 cases in each group.Both groups of patients underwent combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia for knee arthroplasty. On the basis of the treatment,electroacupuncture (EA) was applied during the operation and within 1 month after the operation in the observation group, and EA was used at Hegu (LI 4), Qihai (CV 6), Zhongwan (CV 12), Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23), etc. once every other day. The control group was not treated with electroacupuncture. Fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin were recorded 30 min before surgery (T0), immediately (T1), 1 d (T2), 3 d (T3), 7 d (T4) and 1 month (T5) after surgery, and the insulin resistance (IR) index was calculated. RESULTS: Compared with those at T0 time point, the IR index of the control group at T1, T3, T4 and T5 time points and the observation group at T1, T4, T5 time points were lower (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group at the same time point, the IR index of the T1 and T5 time points in the observation group was significantly lower (both P<0.05), and it was lower than the insulin resistance standard. CONCLUSION: Combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia can improve short-term insulin resistance. Combined with EA, the improvement of insulin resistance is more obviously and longer.

Inhibition of hypoxia and serum deprivation-induced apoptosis by salvianolic acid in rat mesenchymal stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence and mechanism of salvianolic acid B (SalB) on apoptosis inhibition in rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) induced by hypoxia and serum deprivation (hypoxia/SD). METHODS: SalB concentration of 0.1, 1, 10 or 100 mg/L (drug groups) were investigated for their ability to inhibit apoptosis in rat BMSCs. BMSCs in both the apoptosis model and drug groups were cultured under hypoxic conditions for 6 h, after which cell apoptosis and change in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were detected using flow cytometry. Activation of caspase-3 was detected using western blot analysis. RESULTS: Hypoxia/SD induced apoptosis in rat BMSCs. The early apoptosis rate was lower in the drug groups compared to the apoptosis model group (P < 0.05). SalB was found to inhibit the reduction in MMP and decrease the activation of caspase-3. CONCLUSION: 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/L of SalB inhibits activation of caspase-3 and early apoptosis of rat BMSCs induced by hypoxia/SD and could therefore enhance the survival rate of grafted stem cells.

Current progress of research on pharmacologic actions of salvianolic acid B.

As one of the main water-soluble composites of Radix Salviae, salvianolic acid B is a phenolic acid ingredient of the Chinese drug, which is rich content in the herb and has strong pharmaceutical activity. It is used to treat cardiocerebral vascular diseases, antagonize hepatic/renal fibrosis, prevent cancer, and promote stem cell proliferation and differentiation. In the researches of its acting mechanisms, rather deepened studies have been carried out for its application on cardiocerebral vascular diseases, but that for others are rather fewer.