Effects of forest age on soil erosion and nutrient loss in Dianchi watershed, China.

Soil erosion and nutrient loss are important environmental and ecological problems in the Dianchi watershed in southwestern China. Woodlands-the primary land type in the Dianchi watershed-play an important ecological role in controlling soil and water loss. In this study, we compared soil erosion and loss of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in woodlands of different ages, i.e., young forest, medium forest, and near-mature forest, at the Dongda River catchment in south-western Dianchi watershed. Furthermore, changes in stoichiometries in soil were analyzed. The average degree of erosion of each forest age stage was below moderate. Based on the non-arable soil erosion modulus models of 137Cs and 210Pbex, the soil erosion rates decreased gradually with the increasing forest age. The forest age affected soil nutrient distribution and loss. The losses of TOC and TP gradually decreased, while the losses of TN first increased and then decreased with the growth of forest age. TOC, TN, and TP were enriched in the topsoil. Forest age affected soil stoichiometry and soil nutrient supply level. In general, the forest can effectively reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss in the red soil area with the forest age increasing.

Response of sedimentation rate to environmental evolution in Da River Reservoir in Southwest China.

Lake sediment records the evolution process of the interaction between human and nature. It is important to master the lacustrine sedimentation rate for the ecological environment assessment of catchment. A 60-cm sediment core was collected in the Da River Reservoir during 2019 to analyze radionuclides (210Pb and 137Cs) massic activities, grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and metals (Mn, Cu, Al, and Pb) mass fractions to reconstruct the response of sedimentation rate to environmental evolution. The environmental changes in the small catchment were classified into the following three stages through cluster analysis (CA) for geochemical parameters in the sediment core: phase I (1881-1985), phase II (1987-1999), and phase III (2000-2018). The average depth sedimentation rates (ADSRs) of the three stages were 0.33, 0.90, and 1.50 cm/year, respectively. The sedimentation rates increased from the bottom to the surface layer, indicating that the exogenous inputs into the reservoir have been occurring. The sediment deposition in phase III was strongly disturbed by the environmental changes (such as warmer climate and intensified land use). Therefore, sedimentation rates showed a rapid increase. Both Pearson correlation analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that sedimentation rates were positively correlated with climatic factors, particle size, nutrients and metals mass fractions, elemental ratios, and socioeconomic parameters. Sedimentation rates show high sensitivity to anthropogenic activities and climatic change, which can be used to reconstruct the environmental evolution process at a small catchment scale.

Sedimentary record of nutrients and sources of organic matter in the Shuanglong reservoir, Dianchi watershed, China.

In the last few decades, the eutrophication of lakes has been a serious issue in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River watershed. To explore the relationship between lake systems and anthropogenic activities, sediments were collected from the Shuanglong reservoir in the Dianchi watershed in Southwest China. Total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), and the carbon isotopic ratio (δ13C) were analyzed in sediment cores to reconstruct the effects of natural succession and human activities on the past lacustrine environmental conditions. A reliable chronology of the sediment core was established by using the 210Pb dating technique, which indicated that the age span of the 70-cm sediment core is from the years 1871 to 2011. Above - 31 cm depth in the core, TN, TP, TOC, C/N, and δ13C increased significantly, indicating that eutrophication has occurred since the 1980s. By combining the indicators of δ13C and C/N, it was shown that terrestrial and lacustrine components were the main sources of organic matter (OM) in the reservoir, which was mostly controlled by terrestrial C3 plants and algae. Since the 1980s, increased sewage discharge, fish aquaculture, fertilizer application, population, and economic strength have sped up the eutrophication process, and the eutrophication was further intensified in 2001.

Far-infrared ray patches relieve pain and improve skin sensitivity in myofascial pain syndrome: A double-blind randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common disorder characterized by muscle pain if myofascial trigger points (MTrP) are stimulated. This study evaluated the effectiveness of far-infrared ray (FIR) patches in reducing the severity of pain in patients with MPS. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized controlled study involving 125 patients with MPS and 201 MTrPs located in the trapezius muscle. A FIR patch was applied to 98 MTrPs for 24h in the intervention group (61 patients) and a placebo patch was applied to 91 MTrPs in the control group (57 patients) at the end. Pain intensity was measured using the visual analogue scale (V) while pressure pain threshold (P) and maximal pain tolerance (T) were measured using an algometer before and after treatment. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 37.16 years old and 67% were female. There was a positive correlation between P and T (p<0.001). Older Age was associated with higher P and T due to poor skin sensitivity (p<0.001). V improved significantly in both groups to a similar extent, but only in the intervention group, P and T decreased significantly (which implied better skin sensitivity) (p<0.05). P and T decreased the most in the female group aged over 35, probably due to thinner skin in this subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: FIR and placebo patches were equally effective at relieving pain (with decreased V), but P and T dropped only in the intervention group with FIR patches. This probably resulted from FIR penetrated only to the skin layer and improved skin sensitivity with more blood circulation, but the muscle remained unaffected. Further studies should investigate the effect of longer exposure or higher energy applications.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by metastasectomy converts to survival benefit in stage IV rectum cancer.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) on stage IV rectum cancer. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2011, 297 consecutive patients diagnosed with stage IV rectum cancer (synchronous metastasis) were enrolled. Cox proportional hazard analyses were used for prognostic factors determination, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analyses. Propensity scores with the one-to-one nearest-neighbor matching model were used to select matched patients for validation studies. RESULTS: In total, 63 patients received CCRT and 234 did not. The patients in the CCRT group were younger, had more low-lying lesions, and had more T4 lesions, lung metastases, metastasectomies, and oxaliplatin-based upfront chemotherapy. Before propensity-score matching, a younger age (HR = 0.662, P = 0.016), lower carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level (≤20 ng/ml) (HR = 0.531, P = 0.001), no metastasectomy (HR = 3.214, P < 0.001), and no CCRT (HR = 1.844, P = 0.019) were independent prognostic factors after controlling for other confounding factors. After matching, only CEA and metastasectomy, but not CCRT, were independent prognostic factors. The survival benefit of CCRT was restricted to patients who undergo subsequent metastasectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Upfront CCRT only provided a survival benefit in patients with stage IV rectum cancer who undergo subsequent metastasectomy.

Adjuvant oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-containing chemotherapy improves overall survival following resection of metachronous colorectal liver metastases.

PURPOSE: Adjuvant systemic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy improves survival after resection of synchronous colorectal liver metastases (CLMs), but not metachronous. We retrospectively examined if adjuvant chemotherapy with new regimen containing oxaliplatin or irinotecan improved survivals after resection of metachronous CLMs. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2007, 52 patients having undertaken resection of metachronous CLMs with curative intent were identified from Taipei Veterans General Hospital hospitalization registry. One patient with perioperative mortality and another being lost to follow-up within 3 months after metastasectomy were excluded. Thirty-one patients experienced six to 12 cycles of FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy while 19 patients with 5-FU/leucovorin (LV)-based chemotherapy following CLM resection. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS) and secondary end point, overall survival (OS). RESULTS: By the univariate analysis, median DFS was 34.3 months in the FOLFOX/FOLFIRI group vs 14.2 months in the 5-FU/LV group (P = 0.022). The median OS and 5-year survival rates were longer than 57.7 months (not reached, with median follow-up of 35.5 months) and 54.0%, respectively, in the FOLFOX/FOLFIRI group compared to 49 months and 34.6% in the 5-FU/LV group (P = 0.027). FOLFOX/FOLFIRI chemotherapy was shown by multivariate analyses to be an independent factor predicting a better DFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.15-0.94; P = 0.036) and a better OS (HR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.083-0.86, P = 0.026) than 5-FU/LV-based. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant FOLFOX/FOLFIRI chemotherapy following resection of metachronous CLMs is demonstrated to have better DFS and OS than 5-FU/LV chemotherapy.

Methotrexate and leucovorin double-modulated 5-fluorouracil combined with cisplatin (MPFL) in metastatic/recurrent head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: To determine the efficacy and safety profile of the combination of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil modulated both by methotrexate and leucovorin in metastatic/recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients were treated with cisplatin 40 mg/m2/day continuous infusion for 24 hours on day 1; high-dose 5-fluorouracil 2,000 mg/m2/day and leucovorin 100 mg/m2/day continuous infusion for 48 hours on days 1 and 2; methotrexate 40 mg/m2/day as a bolus infusion 4 hours before 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin on day 1. The treatment was repeated every 2 weeks in a cycle. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 25%, and 14% of the patients achieved stable disease status. Subgroup analysis demonstrated significantly improved overall survival in the disease-control group (12.0 months vs. 5.3 months, p<0.001). Only 3 (10.7%) patients developed grade 3-4 neutropenia, and none developed grade 3-4 non-hematologic toxicity. CONCLUSION: This multiagent-containing regimen has an excellent safety profile and improved survival in disease-control group of patients with metastatic/recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.