Converting evergreen broad-leaved forests into tea and Moso bamboo plantations affects labile carbon pools and the chemical composition of soil organic carbon.

This study aimed to explore the effects of conversion from evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBFs) to tea plantations (TPs) and Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens) plantations (MBPs) and the subsequent long-term intensive management on the soil carbon pool and the chemical composition of soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil samples from three layers (0-10, 10-30 and 30-60 cm, respectively) were collected from adjacent EBFs, TPs and MBPs in An'ji County, Zhejiang Province, China. The physico-chemical properties of soils, including bulk density, SOC and its different fractions were determined. The chemical composition of SOC was also measured using 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The results showed that conversion from EBFs to TPs and MBPs decreased the concentrations of water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), light and heavy fraction organic carbon (LFOC, HFOC) and humus carbon (HC) (P < 0.05), reduced the O-alkyl C and carbonl C content, but increased the alkyl C, Aromatic C, aromaticity and the ratio of alkyl C/O-alkyl C (A/O-A) (P < 0.05). These results suggested that intensive management markedly altered the chemical structure of SOC and labile carbon pools. Our results demonstrated that converting EBFs to TPs and MBPs had a negative effect on SOC content and a positive effect on SOC stability. Therefore, management practices such as rational fertilization and sod cultivation are recommended after land-use conversion.

In vivo and in vitro anti-sepsis effects of physcion 8-O-ß-glucopyranoside extracted from Rumex japonicus.

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-sepsis effects of physcion 8-O-ß-glucopyranoside (POG) isolated from Rumex japonicas and explore its possible pharmacological mechanisms. POG was extracted from R. japonicas by bioactivity-guided isolation with the anti-sepsis agents. Survival analysis in septic mouse induced by LPS and heat-killed Escherichia coli were used to evaluate the protective effect of POG (40 mg·kg-1, i.p.) on sepsis. Cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS (100 ng·mL-1) were determined by ELISA. In addition, the proteins expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 were determined by Western blotting assay. Our results demonstrated that POG (40 mg·kg-1, i.p.) possessed significant protective activity on the endotoxemic mice. The POG treatment (20, 40, and 80 µg·mL-1) significantly decreased the TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 induced by LPS (P < 0.01) in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the TLR4 and TLR2 proteins were also down-regulated by POG at 20 (P < 0.01), 40 (P < 0.01), and 80 µg·mL-1 (P < 0.01). The present study demonstrated that the POG extracted from R. japonicas possessed significant anti-sepsis effect on endotoxemic mice, and can be developed as a novel drug for treating sepsis in the future.

Arsenic trioxide induced rhabdomyolysis, a rare but severe side effect, in an APL patient: a case report.

Arsenic trioxide (ATO), a component of the traditional Chinese medicine arsenic sublimate, promotes apoptosis and induces leukemic cell differentiation. Combined with all-trans-retinotic acid (ATRA), ATO has become the first-line induction therapy in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The most common side effects of ATO include hepatotoxicity, gastrointestinal symptoms, water-sodium retention, and nervous system damage. In this report, we present a rare side effect, rhabdomyolysis, in a 68-year-old female APL patient who was treated with ATO. After taking 10 mg ATO daily for 6 days, she presented shortness of breath, myodynia, elevated creatine kinase, and acute renal insufficiency. This report describes the first case of ATO-induced rhabdomyolysis.

[A comparative study on the photoselective vaporization of the prostate and transurethral electrovaporization resection of prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effects of the greenlight photoselective vaporization of prostate (PVP) and transurethral electrovaporization resection of prostate (TUVP) for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: One hundred and sixty-three cases of BPH were treated with PVP and TUVP. All patients were followed up with International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QOL), blood loss, operative time, indwelling catheterization, mean Qmax, residual urinary volume (RUV) and operative complications. RESULTS: IPSS, QOL, Qmax and RUV were significantly improved after either of the procedures (P < 0.05), no significant difference in the improvement of subjective symptoms and objective signs had been noted with the different procedure (P > 0.05). Mean operative time was (37 +/- 15) min for TUVP and (45 +/- 28) min for PVP, the resection time was longer for PVP than TUVP (P > 0.05), but the intraoperative bleeding and catheterization time were less for PVP than TUVP (P < 0.05). Postoperative complications were less for PVP than TUVP (P < 0.05). The incidence of hematuria in TUVP group had been 41.4%, and urinary irritation after PVP group was 55.2% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PVP has the same therapeutic effect as TUVP and less adverse side effects than TUVP. It is a new technique for the treatment symptomatic BPH.